WEST PITTSTON -- A recent Action 16 Investigation found Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Contractor's Registry filled with convicted criminals and businesses with outstanding court judgments.
Now, some of those contractors have been kicked off the list.
Pattie Evans of West Pittston hired Luzerne County builder Gary Roccograndi to repair her home after the September 2011 floods. Roccograndi of Wyoming was cited by the Pennsylvania Attorney General`s Office for failing to do his job.
"He comes in here for a week or so, and decided to go to another house," said Evans.
In Wilkes-Barre George and Jeannette Blauer had similar complaints against Roccograndi.
"He either didn`t provide any materials, or he just didn`t have guys show up whatsoever," said George Blauer.
Roccograndi was paid $21,000 Luzerne County`s Health and Mental Retardation Services to remodel the Blauer`s bathroom.
The couple wanted to accommodate their step-daughter who has cerebral palsy.
The Blauers and Pattie Evans both knew Roccograndi was on the state`s Home Improvement Contractor Registry when he was hired.
Our investigation found Roccograndi did not list several civil judgements on his license application as required by law.
"If we come across information that a contractor provided untruthful information, then we can take action to purge that contractor from our list," Deputy Attorney General Basil Merenda told Newswatch 16 in August.
Gary Roccograndi has now been purged from the list. He's one of 37 removed by the Attorney General`s Office since our story in August.
One of the first removed was Joseph Senese, the Lackawanna County contractor charged with fraud.
Senese was on the list despite three drunk driving convictions and five civil judgments.
But even if a contractor is removed from the list, does it protect the public?
The Attorney General`s office says the way the law is written, contractors removed from the registry can still do commercial work.
If unregistered contractors are found doing home improvement work, people can call the Attorney General`s Consumer Protection Division, which can file a civil suit against the contractor.
The AG`s office says people should check the registry as the first step in weeding out potentially bad contractors. Then consumers should get references before hiring a builder, a plumber or a painter.
Gary Roccograndi turned down our request for an on-camera interview, but by phone said he expects to get his business back on the contractor's registry as soon as he gets some insurance information straightened out.