Three NY Men Arrested for Attempting Chimney Cleaning Scam

Three New York men were arrested by New Canaan police on Thursday for allegedly attempting to perform a chimney cleaning work on a resident's home without a license, according to statement released by Sgt. Carol Ogrinc.

The department received a complaint on Jan. 18 from an elderly resident of Mariomi Road stating that two men appeared at her door and told her she needed her chimney cleaned, according to Ogrinc. The men stated they worked for All American Maintenance and Restoration and, after inspecting the chimney, explained the work they would be performing and convinced the resident to have the work done.

Ogrinc said that the men told the resident that it would cost $3,200 to complete the cleaning and repairs. The resident wrote a check in the amount of $1,000 as a deposit and the work was scheduled to begin on Jan. 24.

According to Ogrinc, three men arrived at the home on Thursday in a white van with New York license plates to clean the chimney. Officers were already on the in the area, Ogrinc said, and confronted the men. The officers determined that the men did not have a home improvement certificate, building permit, nor were they licensed contractors, Ogrinc said.

All three men—Frederick Dapice, 41, of 14 Laurel Road, Lindenhurst, NY, Paul Scalia, 35, of 217 Vernon Valley Road, East Northport, NY, and Robert Houlahan, 45, of 700 Nicholls Road, Deer Park, NY—were arrested and each charged with second-degree larceny, home improvement without a certificate of registration, working without a building permit and failure to obtain a tax permit. Dapice was additionally charged with impersonating a registered salesman/contractor and failure to provide notices in sales agreement.

Dapice and Scalia each posted a $5,000 bond, while Houlahan is being held on a $7,500 bond. Houlahan is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 25, while Dapice and Scalia are scheduled to appear on Feb. 6.