Police: East Huntingdon contractor again accused of taking money for remodel work never started
Jun. 21—An East Huntingdon contractor is facing fraud charges after police say he accepted $9,650 in payments for work he did not complete, according to a criminal complaint.
Jason Ray Pirl, 40, who does business as Proline Painting, is charged with one count of home improvement fraud after police say he accepted several checks made out to the company after being hired by a Greensburg woman to remodel her bathroom, according to the criminal complaint filed Friday.
The Delbene Way resident told Greensburg police that she hired Pirl in October. By June, she told officers he had still not completed the work despite receiving five checks of varying amounts over five months, police said. The woman told police Pirl contacted her several times asking for more money so he could buy materials and other items in order to begin construction, officials said.
According to the complaint, Pirl always stated he would begin work within a few days of asking for money. The woman told officers that Pirl eventually began telling her there were deaths in his family. At one point, he told her he had a heart attack, which was why he unable to begin work, police said.
"Over the course of eight months, Pirl did not provide any of the work that he had been hired to do ... but had accepted payment in excess of $9,000," the complaint reads.
The woman provided copies of the checks she had given to Pirl in the form of payment to start the job, officials said.
When reached by phone on Monday, Pirl directed questions to Mt. Pleasant attorney Paul Toohey. A message left at Toohey's office was not immediately returned.
No court action has been scheduled at this time.
This is not the first time Pirl has faced charges of home improvement fraud. In April, he was charged by Westmoreland County detectives for accepting more than $41,000 in down payments for three remodeling jobs he never started, according to court documents.
Detective Will Brown alleged in court documents that Pirl accepted a $9,100 down payment from a Unity woman for a roof repair project at her home in the Charter Oak neighborhood, $20,500 from a 73-year-old woman from Herminie for an extensive home remodeling job and $11,500 from a 74-year-old Greensburg woman.
Brown at the time said Pirl requested money to buy materials and initiate work on the projects. In each case, the work was never started.
A preliminary hearing for the three charges is scheduled for July 20, according to court documents.
Megan Tomasic is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@triblive.com or via Twitter .
