An Alabama pool builder accused of swindling his customers out of a combined $600,000 has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of theft, forgery, and fraud. Gregory Kirk, owner of Pristine Fiberglass Pools and differently named companies in and around Madison County, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

According to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, Kirk previously worked in Madison County as a pool contractor and was accused of stealing monies paid to him by consumers, forging a contractor’s license issued by the General Contractor’s Board, using a forged building permit to defraud a customer, and fraudulently using a customer’s credit card.

The indictment charged Kirk with 14 counts of theft of property in the first degree, one count each of theft of property in the second degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, forgery in the second degree, and fraudulent use of a debit or credit card.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that dozens of customers entrusted Kirk with large sums of money, hoping to build their dream pools but were met with heartbreak.

“He betrayed their trust, deceived them, and stole their hard-earned savings,” Marshall said. “Hopefully, those victims can find solace in the knowledge that he is finally being held accountable. This conviction sends a clear message: those who exploit hardworking families and betray their trust will face justice. Our office remains committed to standing up for consumers and protecting them from fraud and deception.”

In his plea agreement with the State, Kirk accepted sentences of 20 years’ imprisonment for each of the first-degree theft charges, 5 year’s imprisonment for the seconddegree theft of property, possession of a forged instrument, and forgery charges, and 5 year’s imprisonment for the fraudulent use of a credit card charge. All sentences are to be served concurrently.