LANSDALE, Pa. – A Lansdale contractor who pleaded responsible to domestic enchancment fraud has discovered his sentence.
Joseph E. Collopy, 46, was once sentenced Wednesday to 9 to 23 months within the county prison and ordered to pay off nearly $43,000 for incomplete paintings at 4 houses, together with one in Warrington Township, in line with a information free up from the Greenbacks County District Legal professional’s Place of job.
He was once additionally sentenced to seven years of probation.
Collopy had entered an open responsible plea in August to domestic enchancment fraud, receiving advance cost for products and services and failing to accomplish, misleading trade practices, robbery by means of deception and robbery by means of failure to make required disposition of budget, the DA’s administrative center mentioned.
Collopy was once ordered to pay greater than $42,000 in restitution, together with $23,771.96 to a Warrington Township circle of relatives, in line with the DA’s administrative center.
Collopy operated Macintosh Development Corporate and Collopy Development Inc. out of his Sir Bernard Law County domestic. The insurance coverage indexed on his state House Growth Contractor’s registration expired in January 2018, the investigation by means of Warrington Township Police Detective Bernard Schaffer discovered.
The sufferer signed a freelance with Macintosh Development on Jan. 9, 2019, to renovate the kitchen and basement of his Warrington Township domestic for $30,700, the DA’s administrative center mentioned. Two days later, the sufferer issued Macintosh Development a take a look at for $15,350, which was once deposited by means of Collopy into his checking account. The paintings at the venture was once to be finished by means of April, however Collopy didn’t start paintings till the top of April. After paintings started, Collopy confirmed up simplest sporadically and carried out inconsistently, the sufferer mentioned.
In Would possibly 2019, the sufferer issued Collopy a 2d take a look at for $7,900. The sufferer additionally agreed to buy a $1,000 grill from Collopy, however Collopy equipped him with a lesser type that was once simplest valued at $119. When paintings prerequisites didn’t beef up, the sufferer fired Collopy in September 2019 and requested for a reimbursement.
Collopy begged for a 2d probability and agreed to signal a brand new contract that each one paintings could be completed by means of the top of October, or he would factor a complete refund, in line with the DA’s administrative center. Collopy labored for 2 weeks, then stopped appearing as much as the home to finish the venture. Collopy returned a couple of extra instances after the sufferer’s female friend texted him, however there have been a couple of problems with the fabrics Collopy used, which resulted in much more injury to the house.
Collopy did not refund the sufferer any of the $23,250 he was once paid for the venture, and the sufferer sooner or later filed a grievance with the Legal professional Basic’s Place of job and the Warrington Township Police Division. Not one of the tasks Collopy started have been finished and just about each and every facet of the paintings he carried out required restore or substitute, the DA’s administrative center mentioned.
The investigation additionally discovered that Collopy, via Macintosh Development, agreed to contracts and failed to finish paintings on 3 different domestic enchancment tasks. As a part of the restitution, Collopy should pay $6,890 to a Lansdale guy for a roof venture; $8,375 to a Philadelphia guy for a toilet venture; and $3820.75 to a Philadelphia guy for a laundry room venture.