Fall River man sentenced to jail for kitchen hood cleaning scam

A Fall River man will serve time in jail for a commercial grease hood cleaning scam that targeted local restaurants, the Bristol County District Attorney said Wednesday.

Antonio Borges, former owner of Borges Cleaning Pro, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with a year-long suspended sentence that would go into effect if he is arrested for anything else over the next two years.

Complaints made between April 2022 and Oct. 2023 say Borges scammed Bristol County restaurants by posing as a certified grease hood cleaner when he was not certified, the office of DA Thomas Quinn said in a statement. His license was permanently revoked in Sept. 2022 after an investigation revealed that Borges performed fraudulent inspections at at least seven Fall River establishments, two in Westport, and one in New Bedford, the DA said.

“The defendant deceived unsuspecting restaurant owners by holding himself out to be a certified grease hood cleaner when his license had been suspended,” Quinn said. “Not only was this fraud, but he created a significant fire hazard that could have resulted in death or serious injury to employees, customers and firefighters.” 

A dirty grease hood can cause a dangerous grease fire, as well as damage kitchen equipment, and lead to poor air quality.