A Boardman home improvement contractor accused of scamming several people out of thousands of dollars for projects he never completed changed his plea on Friday. 

John Bartos was set to be sentenced in Columbiana County Court but his attorney filed a motion to withdraw his plea. In October, Bartos pleaded guilty to several counts of theft in exchange for a felony plea agreement of up to 120 days in jail and restitution for the victims. Three cases accuse Bartos of taking a total of $7,500 in deposits from people for home improvement projects that were never completed. 

Bartos is due back in Columbiana County Court on March 28. A judge will decide whether to accept or deny the motion to withdraw the plea. If it is denied, a judge could still sentence him to 120 days in jail and order him to pay restitution.

Bartos has been through several other cases in three other county’s all accusing him of the same scam. 

In October, Barots appeared in front of a judge in Trumbull County Court and was sentenced to 120 days in jail. He was charged with 10 counts of theft for not completing projects. For just the victims in Trumbull County the amount of money taken totaled $27,460. At his sentencing, Bartos blamed his gambling addiction for the crimes.

"I’ve been seeking help and counseling for that weekly to make sure that I never put myself in this predicament again,” Bartos said to the judge in court in October of 2023. 

The judge considered an early release for Bartos if he paid back restitution to all of the victims. Barots was granted that early release on November 30 after he served 36 days in jail. 

The case against Bartos in Mahoning County Court is still pending. There he faces 25 counts of theft and 2 counts of passing bad checks. Court records allege that Bartos stole more than $60,000 from victims in Mahoning County. Bartos’ attorney has filed a motion to dismiss those charges. That hearing is set for March 20. 

Bartos was facing charges in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania but those have all been dropped after a judge decided to not prosecute him. 

In total, Bartos is accused of stealing more than $130,000 from at least 19 people through his company Gridiron Doors & Windows.