2 men charged in home-improvement scam targeting elderly

Two men — one from out of state, the other homeless — have been charged in connection with a home improvement scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable homeowners on Long Island, officials said.

The men portrayed themselves as legitimate contractors when they were, in fact, unlicensed and damaging properties themselves to charge homeowners for repairs that did not previously exist.

Nassau County police said John Francis McDonough, 31, of Philadelphia, who used the alias David Young, and James Anthony Eugene Ward, 25, who used the alias Adam Turner, were charged with two counts of first-degree scheme to defraud, as well as first-degree attempted scheme to defraud, second-degree criminal mischief, fifth-degree conspiracy and peddling/soliciting. McDonough was also charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

McDonough and Ward were illegally soliciting as unlicensed home improvement contractors for a business billed as Top Line Masonry, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder said at a news conference Wednesday.

Targeting homes owned by elderly people, the two men would falsely report damage and damage the side exterior of homes even further to solicit work, Ryder said.

This year, there have been 31 home improvement scams operating in Nassau County, 22 of which involved elderly homeowners, Ryder said. They include numerous scams in which no arrests have been made, including a masonry work scam that defrauded an Elmont homeowner $239,000 on Feb. 6, officials said.

"We’ve got to be more preventive, not so much reactive," Ryder said. "Reach out to your neighbor, reach out to your mom and dad, and let them know. These individuals have been out there."

McDonough and Ward have not been charged in any other scam.

The investigation is still ongoing, Ryder said, so it is unclear how many people and how much money McDonough and Ward defrauded. Both men were arraigned Wednesday morning at First District Court in Hempstead, Ryder said. 

McDonough, who was born in Ireland, came to the United States illegally through Canada, and Ward, who was born in the United Kingdom, is on an overstayed visa, Ryder said.

"We contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We made sure there is a detainer on both of them," Ryder said. "Now, when it is done, they will be deported, as they should be."

While Ward is homeless, Ryder said McDonough has an address at 4419 Ludlow St. in Philadelphia. The advertisements the two distributed to the homeowners they solicited also said Top Line Masonry offered services in Philadelphia.

Police said the pair was arrested after Floral Park police officers spotted a vehicle matching the description of one of the vehicles used in previous incidents and made a traffic stop. The stop and arrest occurred at Revere Drive West in Floral Park, Ryder said.

Investigators are asking anyone who believes they may be a victim of this scheme to contact Nassau Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

With John Valenti