Filing Law Suit against my Landscaper

After came to US, I have been trusting people too easily. I paid in full for all the cost ($5000) to my Landscaper when signing the contract. The contract was signed in early February. So it has been six months but the guy did nothing on my lot. I called him many times and but never reached him. He did call me back and everytime he either said he cannot do my work because of the rain or said he will do my work very soon but it turned out to be a lie. Recently, people in my neighborhood (he did some of the landscapes in my community) said that the guy is in financial trouble because some of his friends gave the money to him last Fall but he still have not done anything. His friends are filing law suit against him as well. Then I got an article (located at http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/newpdf/8/2006/2006-ohio-1537.pdf) regarding a criminal charge for fraud in landscaping from the county's municipal court. The article said that my landscaper cheated one of the customers by taking the money but not doing the work.

Now, I totally lost my trust on him. I do not want to him to be my landscaper anymore. But how can I get my money back (the contract did not say when the landscape should be finished)? If I hire an attorney, and sue him on people's court, can I get my money back?

$5000 is too much for me to lose. What should I do? I really regret for trusting people too easily, I should have just given him partial of the money.

Help me please! Thank you very much!