Bedminster couple charged with taking nearly $118,000 from customers of custom furniture business

A Bedminster Township couple who operated a custom furniture business was charged recently with ripping off 40 customers of nearly $118,000, the Bucks County District Attorney’s office said.

Austin D. Smallacombe, 36, and Amanda Smallacombe, 35, of Katie Lane, were arraigned on June 22 by District Judge Stacy Wertman on felony counts of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, deceptive business practices, false statement to induce agreement for home improvement practices, receiving advance payment for services and failing to perform, criminal use of a communication facility and criminal conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking.

They were both committed to Bucks County Correctional Facility – Austin Smallacombe on $900,000 bail, 10 percent, and Amanda Smallacombe on $500,000 bail, 10 percent. Her bail was reduced on Tuesday. They both have preliminary hearings scheduled for July 10 before District Judge Gary Gambardella.

The investigation was conducted by the Bucks County Detectives, Newtown Township Police Department, Bedminster Township Police Department and Hilltown Township Police Department.

The investigation found that the Smallacombes owned and operated A&A Custom Furniture, from 300 block of Katie Lane, Perkasie, which is also their home address. Hilltown Township police received a report on July 1, 2022, from a resident who said he paid the Smallacombes $4,300 for custom dining furniture. The victim paid for the furniture on Jan. 1, 2022, and was told it would take 10-12 weeks to completed and delivered, but he never received anything, the DA’s office said.

The victim said Austin Smallacombe gave him several excuses, such as weather-related or medical-related delays, for not getting his furniture. He later told the victim he would give him a refund, which he never did, the DA’s office said.

Since June 14, 2022, Bedminster Township police, Hilltown Township police, and Newtown Township police spoke to more than 40 additional victims of the Smallacombes and A&A Custom Furniture. The victims, from Bucks, Berks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties, lost a total of $117,880.40.

The victims said they contacted the Smallacombes through Facebook or other social media networks and ordered custom furniture to be built. The victims paid large financial deposits for the manufacturing of furniture using online payment methods. In most cases, the victims didn’t receive the furniture they ordered, and, in some cases, they received poor quality furniture with numerous defects.

The investigation found that the Smallacombes used the money on personal expense, the DA’s office said.

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