Gentleman convicted 3 times billed once again

A Berks County man formerly sentenced to probation for property advancement fraud in three counties faces new fraud counts after Mohnton police accused him of ripping off two borough homeowners to the tune of practically $11,000.

Joseph Duerr, 39, whose last acknowledged address was listed as the 2800 block of Sturbridge Court docket in Spring Township, was arrested Monday by customers of the warrants division of the Berks County sheriff’s business office.

Arrest aspects were being unavailable.

Duerr was dedicated to the county prison in lieu of $100,000 bail after arraignment Monday evening ahead of District Decide Dean R. Patton in Examining Central Court docket.

In each circumstances he’s billed with residence enhancement fraud, theft by deception and deceptive organization methods.

Duerr has pleaded responsible to comparable counts in Lehigh County in 2019, Lancaster County in 2020 and Berks County in 2017, according to court documents.

He was offered a long time of probation in each of all those conditions, with the stipulation that he must pay back restitution to the victims in total throughout his probationary period of time.

Mohnton law enforcement Chief Eric Pistilli explained he was dispatched Sept. 16 to examine experiences of contractor fraud versus two home owners with adjoining backyards.

Pistilli furnished the pursuing facts in the the probable cause affidavits:

Both equally victims explained they hired Duerr, who purported to be a licensed home advancement contractor beneath the title Northeast Epoxy LLC, to make yard advancements.

The function was by no means finished, prompting them to uncover via net analysis that Duerr was on probation for contractor fraud.

A single house operator mentioned she gave Duerr a test for $3,000 on July 30 as a down payment for advancements to her yard get rid of, which include a stone walkway and retaining wall.

She manufactured the check out payable to Northeast Epoxy but the receipt she received from Duerr was under the letterhead of a diverse corporation, Truss Intercontinental Construction Co.

3 days later, Duerr contacted the house owner and stated that his team would be dividing the position into three phases. Given that Duerr experienced currently deposited her look at, the home owner experienced very little alternative but to proceed on with the arrangement.

On Aug. 24, the property owner contacted Duerr to inquire about the position of the get the job done. He instructed her that he scheduled the perform to be accomplished commencing Sept. 8, and that he was sending a crew that would full the get the job done in a single working day.

On Sept. 8, the victim acquired a cellular phone call that dropped after just one ring. Her caller ID showed it was from Duerr.

She started to acquire many textual content messages from the same telephone selection that indicated the work had been set on hold thanks to permitting issues.

Further text messages on Sept. 22 and 27 recommended of allowing problems and doable refunds, but the do the job wasn’t done nor was she refunded her down payment.

The other home owner hired Duerr to make backyard improvements like building a included patio addition. She paid $7,780 to Duerr by Northeast Epoxy.

On Aug. 25, she was notified by the borough code enforcement officer, Glen Bertolet of Kraft Code Companies, that neither Duerr nor Northeast Epoxy had used for the essential building allow.

Although Bertolet was on the property, Duerr identified as the property owner on her cellphone.

Bertolet spoke with Duerr straight and defined the require for a allow and the approach. Duerr mentioned he would use for the allow and also stated that he was a licensed contractor.

On Sept. 16, Kraft Code Solutions issued a detect of violation/prevent get the job done buy to the home owner because Duerr experienced unsuccessful to apply for the design permit.

Pistilli realized by the search of the Pennsylvania attorney general’s web-site that neither Duerr nor Northeast Epoxy are stated as accredited contractors, contrary to statements Duerr built to the victims and the code enforcement officer.

Duerr, formerly of Richmond Township, was on probation from the 2017 Berks circumstance when he was arrested in 2019 on prices he took dollars from property owners in Allentown and Bethlehem.

He afterwards pleaded responsible to all those fees in Lehigh County Court docket and remains on probation in all those conditions, courtroom documents suggest.