A man posing as a contractor has been charged with scamming homeowners in Schuylkill County out of thousands of dollars.
The suspect promised to make repairs, but never followed through.
Tamaqua Police Corporal Henry Woods wonders if there are more consumer fraud victims.
Woods charged Jonathan Williams of the Philadelphia area with ripping off six people while he claimed he was a contractor.
“Entering into a contract with them from a company he wasn't employed by, and he would sign it as the owner, and that`s forgery,” said Woods.
Williams is also charged with theft. Police said Ray Zellner was one of his victims.
“I got to trust him. Reporter: do you feel betrayed now? Answer: Yeah, yeah I do!” said Zellner.
Investigators said Zellner paid Williams in advance for repairs that included the roof of his home and garage. Williams allegedly cashed the checks and never did the work.
According to court papers, Ray Zellner was taken for the most amount of money. According to police, in total Jonathan Williams stole five thousand dollars from consumers.
“I am glad the police have gotten a hold of him,” said Zellner.
Corporal Woods has some advice to keep consumers from becoming victims.
“I would definitely check out the attorney generals web site, each contractor is listed on there. I believe they get some license number they can go there and verify that they are a legitimate business,” said Woods.
Williams is free on bail and faces a hearing later this month.
“I'd like my money back and other than that I hope he suffers for it,” said Zellner.
