Police seeking contractor accused of scamming over $80K from homeowners in Pennsylvania
Police in Bucks County are seeking a Delaware-based home improvement contractor who allegedly took thousands of dollars from customers and failed to complete or even start the work, and they believe there are more victims.
Prosecutors have charged Choice Remodeling and Restoration owner John Paoletti in four cases involving theft and fraud. Police have active arrest warrants for Paoletti, who has ties to Morrisville in Bucks County and Millsboro and Hockessin in Delaware.
Paoletti, 46, faces both felony and misdemeanor charges, including home improvement fraud, deceptive business practices, theft by deception and receiving stolen property, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
The four alleged fraud cases happened in Morrisville and Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County.
Prosecutors allege Paoletti scammed customers out of more than $80,000. They say Paoletti would accept large advance payments for home improvement projects and failed to complete or even start them. He would avoid contact and stop responding when victims asked for their money back, according to the DA's office.
"In one instance, allegedly telling a victim they could only receive a refund if they did not follow through with criminal charges," the DA's office wrote in a press release.
The DA's office says Paoletti allegedly took a $12,500 insurance check from a homeowner in Morrisville and failed to finish the repairs for almost a year.
In another case in Morrisville, a man lost more than $10,700 when Paoletti didn't repair his roof, the DA's office said.
A third Morrisville victim reported losing nearly $46,000, according to the DA's office.
A victim in Lower Makefield Township told authorities they were scammed out of over $17,500 by Paoletti.
Prosecutors believe there are likely more victims and are asking anyone who has hired Paoletti or his company and has similar experiences to call the police or contact the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.