SHENANDOAH -- Investigators in Schuylkill County are trying to find a contractor who allegedly ripped off an elderly man in Shenandoah.
Schuylkill County detectives say Anthony Montanari a contractor from Weston in Luzerne County took more than $450,000 from an elderly man in Shenandoah Heights, promising to do work on his home that was never finished.
Now detectives say one part of the man's home is dangerous for him to use.
The money was paid to Montanari over several years and police say he used it to buy snowmobiles, dirt trucks, and property throughout the region.
It all started when Tony Lazusky, a World War II and Korean War veteran from Shenandoah Heights hired the contractor to do work on his roof.
But then the contractor said the house needed work done to its siding, wiring, and bathroom.
For all that Montanari charged Lazusky $450,000.
Most of the work barely got started.
Investigators also say the contractor re-wired one of the bedrooms incorrectly.
Now Lazusky can't use electricity in that room for fear the wires could spark and cause a fire.
We spoke with the victim who says he gets very upset thinking about all the money he handed over.
"I try really not to think too much about it because it would, it's mind boggling and I think it would throw my mind off," Lazusky said.
Investigators filed a warrant for the arrest of Anthony Montanari but they haven't been able to track him down.
The contractor is also wanted in Luzerne County.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Schuylkill County district attorney's office.
