Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Friday, April 07, 2017
Home Repair Scam Duo Get At Least 2 Years On False Pretenses Charges For Targeting Elderly Homeowners, Duping Them Out Of Over $60K
In Arlington, Virginia, The Free Lance Star reports:
Two Culpeper-area men were given prison sentences [] for defrauding elderly homeowners in Arlington out of $62,100 in a home-repair case similar to another one in Alexandria that resulted in charges against four other Culpeper-area residents.
John Patrick Walsh, 32, of Culpeper and Mark Sisk, 31, of Boston (Va.) were sentenced to serve at least two years in prison and pay $62,100 in restitution to the victims, in addition to several years of probation, according to a news release from the Arlington County Police Department.
On Sept. 10, Walsh and Sisk approached the victim’s residence in the Yorktown neighborhood and fraudulently claimed to be contractors working in the area, according to police. They advised the elderly residents that they were in need of serious home repair and that failure to comply could result in the home catching fire.
Throughout the month of September, Walsh and Sisk misrepresented the need for work and provided false information to the victims that work had been performed, police said.
Walsh was sentenced to seven years in prison, with all but two years suspended, on the charges of false pretenses and conspiracy. He was ordered to pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $62,100 and ordered to five years of probation upon release from incarceration.
Sisk was sentenced to six years in prison, with all but two years and five months suspended, on three charges of false pretenses. He was ordered to pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $62,100 and ordered to three years of probation upon release from incarceration.
In the other case, four Culpeper-area residents have been charged with bilking an 89-year-old Alexandria woman out of $71,000 for roof repairs, landscaping and other work that they never performed. Those cases have not gone to trial.
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