MAD Pools left a gaping hole on this homeowner's property

Lake County Sheriff is investigating swimming pool contractor

Contributed By: The 411 News

A 63-year-old Schererville swimming pool contractor faces felony charges for allegedly bilking Lake County homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Property owners accuse Michael Nanay of accepting hefty deposits to install in-ground swimming pools; but say he left dangerous, gaping holes in their yards and never finished the work.

Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. launched an investigation finding at least 5 property owners in Dyer, Crown Point and Schererville who say Nanay and his company, MAD Pools engaged in a string of home improvement frauds and thefts from October of 2019 until January of 2023.

“The victims say Nanay hired workers who didn’t appear to know how to do the work properly and that he promised repairs he didn’t complete,” said Oscar Martinez Jr. “He left them worse off than when they started their projects.”

According to the charging affidavit, an investigator spoke with a former and a current employee of Nanay; both verified the claims of the homeowners.

The ex-employee said he worked for MAD Pools for approximately 10 years off and on. “During that time, Michael Nanay changed the name of the company several times (Palace Pools, Sonne Pools) and attempted to avoid having the company in his name; instead keeping it, at that time, in his girlfriend's name,” the ex-employee said.

“This was because he was in prison previously and because he did not want to get sued civilly,” the employee said. “For the short time the company was called Sonne Pools, they took deposits and payments for two pools and did not complete either one.”

The ex-employee said he quit working with Nanay, frustrated by Nanay's business practices and not paying workers.

The current employee has worked with Nanay for the last 9 years. He told the investigator that he had seen Nanay leave several pools unfinished.

“This kind of home improvement scam is unthinkable. It targets people who take pride in their property and want a job done right,” Sheriff Martinez said, “and we think there may be more victims of this company who haven’t come forward yet.”

Sheriff Martinez said, “Anyone who has agreed to have home improvement work done by MAD Pools, Michaelangelo Pool Design and/or Michael A. Nanay and believes they may have been scammed should call the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Detective Bureau at (219) 755-3406.”

Nanay was booked into the Lake County Jail and released on bond.

Story Posted:04/22/2023