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2 men hired to clean chimneys accused of scamming Mt. Lebanon residents

MT. LEBANON, Pa. — Two men accused of scamming Mt. Lebanon residents are scheduled to face a judge Wednesday.

Police said Gregory Ryan and Milton Ortiz scammed Mt. Lebanon residents, who hired them to clean their chimneys.

“It was a couple of weeks ago, they called and they said, ‘Do you want your chimney sweeped?’ I’m like hey, why not,” said May Naseh.

After that call, Ryan and Ortiz showed up in a truck from H & R Chimney, a company based out of New York. Minutes later, Naseh’s husband claims he found Ryan somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.

“When I went down, he’s ransacking through the house, looking at the cigarettes and stuff like that,” said Nader Hadavi. “’The furnace is on that side, what are you doing here?’”

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To add insult to injury, police say Ryan and Ortiz tried to charge the couple more than $400 to make unrequested repairs and didn’t complete the work they promised.

“They didn’t even clean the chimney,” Naseh said. “When you clean the chimney, you know, stuff comes out of it. The guy should be dirty. Their hands should be dirty. No, it was clean.”

That’s when the couple called Mt. Lebanon police, who had been looking for the pair.

"They will come in, make what money they can, take advantage of who they can and then move on to the next area," said Lt. Duane Fisher.

The couple didn’t pay the men any money, but they have a message for everyone going forward.

“If you need someone, just get reputable people and you call them and make an appointment,” Naseh said.

At a Wednesday hearing, RYAN, who has been in custody since May 11, was sent back to the Allegheny County Jail with a reduced bail. Ortiz, who was released on his own recognizance, did not show up to court and a warrant for him will be issued.

Both men will be scheduled for a future court date in Pittsburgh.