Seeing more and more of this. This cat did 2 nice additions in my town, then began collecting down payments from the sheep. I know one of the women who gave him a deposit. I remember telling her how she had to be careful dealing with contractors. I had heard that he had 21 additions lined up in my town and thought that it sounded nuts. It went right over her head, she couldn't wait to throw money at the guy.
Roselle contractor arrested on theft charges
He's accused of fleecing homeowners in 3 counties of $260,000
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
BY PATRICK JENKINS
Star-Ledger Staff
A contractor who allegedly took about $260,000 from homeowners in Middlesex, Union and Bergen counties has been arrested on theft charges, South Plainfield police Capt. John Ferraro said yesterday.
Borough police have charged Roger Hemhauser, 54, of Roselle, with theft by taking. He is being held in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $150,000 bail, Ferraro said.
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Hemhauser is accused of taking $200,000 from nine homeowners in South Plainfield for work he either never performed or never completed.
According to Ferraro, one victim said she gave Hemhauser, trading as "Homes by Lisa" of Piscataway, a $16,000 deposit for an addition to be built on her house.
Despite three start dates, she told police, the contractor never showed up for work. Yesterday, she signed a theft complaint against him. By that time, there already were other complaints against Hemhauser, Ferraro said.
"Since June 18, 2004, numerous victims have come forth to report that they had signed contracts with Hemhauser, trading as 'Homes by Lisa,' saying their work was either never started or never completed," Ferraro said in a prepared statement.
Hemhauser was arrested by South Plainfield police on Sunday, when he turned himself in for an outstanding traffic warrant, Ferraro said.
There have been additional victims in Plainfield, Edison, Union, Paramus and Woodbridge, an investigation by South Plainfield Police detective Gary Cassio determined so far, Ferraro said yesterday.
In Edison, there were three cases in which Hemhauser signed contracts with homeowners.
In one case, he showed up to do some work and, in the two others, he didn't do any at all, according to township police Lt. Matthew Freeman.
The homeowners, who lost a total of $68,000, signed complaints Monday against Hemhauser, Freeman said.
Woodbridge police have charged Hemhauser with theft for allegedly taking $30,000 from a homeowner for work he never performed. He is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail on that charge, according to Capt. Charles Rowinsky of the Woodbridge Police Department.
The Woodbridge case came to light Sunday, when the owner of an Inwood Avenue home filed a complaint with police saying he gave "Homes by Lisa" $30,000 as a deposit on March 29 for an addition, according to Rowinsky.
The money supposedly was for an architect, the victim said.
On Friday, he received a call from that architect saying he could not proceed with the work because the contractor was no longer in business, the victim told police. He said he was told the suspect stole about $500,000 from the company and fled.
Rowinsky said the investigation is continuing in Woodbridge because other homes in the area were being renovated and more homeowners may have been victimized.
Paramus Police Chief Fred Corrubia said a victim in his borough reported a theft by deception on Friday.
"He said the guy took $7,000 to do some work. He didn't do the work, and we charged him," Corrubia said.
That resulted in another $10,000 in bail holding Hemhauser in the Middlesex County jail.
In Plainfield, Capt. Siddeeq El- Amin said a Pemberton Avenue couple filed a report Monday alleging theft of services.
"Apparently they gave an $8,000 deposit to Roger Hemhauser, described as a contractor for 'Homes By Lisa,' to start work on their home on Dec. 4, 2003, and he has not returned to start the job," said El-Amin.
Police in Union Township said they could find no records of any complaints being filed against Hemhauser.
Ferraro said the investigation also found that several contractors have not been paid for work they performed for Hemhauser, although he could not provide an estimated total.
Meanwhile, according to court documents, creditors have filed suit against Hemhauser for more than $35,734 in unpaid debt in state Superior Courts in Middlesex and Union counties.
The federal government has filed tax lien suits against Hemhauser in all 21 counties, ranging back to 1993, for a total of $573,088, records show.
Staff Writer Robert Misseck contributed to this report. Patrick Jen kins works in the Middlesex County Bureau. He can be reached at (732) 404-8090 or pjenkins@starledger.com. |
