LOWER BURRELL, Pa. — A Florida man is accused of bilking customers in two counties out of money for home renovations he never completed.
Robert E. Verner is accused of taking $175,000 for projects in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.
In one case, investigators said a Lower Burrell man paid Verner $54,000 to add an addition and a garage to his home. Investigators said Verner walked away from the project before it was complete.
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Another customer, Carla Rooke and her husband, hired Verner back in 2015 to put in a dormer and refinish their roof.
"We were looking for a contractor that would do the slate roof and construction," said Rooke. "My husband is an engineer and he does a lot of things himself and this was the one time since a slate roof is a specialty, we thought we need to get someone who knows how to do a slate roof."
Verner charged the Ross Township couple $20,000 and sent his crew over. Carla said things were bad from the start.
"They would come without tools, some of the materials they needed that day, so they'd hang around waiting for it, so I'd go out to Lowe's and get what they needed so they could get to work,” said Rooke.
About halfway through the project, the Rookes fired Verner because the work was not being done.
They then connected with other people who had hired Verner and started a group email, where they found other people who paid him for work he never completed.
Police just charged Verner with theft and fraud. Rooke said she is glad to see that Verner was finally arrested.
"What we don't want is for him to do this to other people," said Rooke.
Cox Media Group
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