Patio World

The owner of Patio World Home and Hearth on Business Route 1  in Lawrenceville has been
charged with one count of theft by deception.

A Skillman couple alleges that the owner of the business, Perry Arons, 56, of Naples, Fla., was paid $38,000 in March and July 2015 for patio furniture. The homeowners never received their order and the money was not returned.

Several other area residents have reported to Planet Princeton recently that they purchased furniture form Patio World, never received their orders, and never received refunds. One Princeton resident went to the store a few weeks ago to try to get his money back or get his furniture, but the store was closed.

Others have alleged on Yelp and other review websites that they paid for furniture they never received, or finally received several months later.

According to the business website, Patio World operates about half a dozen other stores in Florida.

After law enforcement officers pursued a criminal complaint made by the Skillman couple to the Mercer County Division of Consumer Affairs, Arons turned himself into authorities on June 9 and was released until his court date. Third-degree offenses carry a penalty of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

The investigation is ongoing and being conducted by Sergeant Natischa Clark of the prosecutor’s Economic Crime Unit and Lawrence Police Detective Todd Caruso. Anyone else wanting to file a complaint should contact the Economic Crime Unit at (609) 989-6365.