Police: Malverne senior scammed out of nearly $400K by contractor
The victim wrote checks amounting to $398,000 to a contractor who didn't complete any work.
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A 78-year-old Malverne woman has been left financially devastated and living in a wrecked home after police say she was scammed out of nearly $400,000 by a contractor who never completed any work.
Nassau County police have arrested 35-year-old Michael Anderson in connection with the alleged scheme. Investigators say Anderson approached the elderly homeowner about a year ago, offering to repair her roof. The initial quote for the job was approximately $70,000, but authorities say Anderson repeatedly returned asking for more money, claiming he needed to address issues in other parts of the house. In total, the victim wrote checks amounting to $398,000.
Instead of performing the agreed-upon repairs, Anderson allegedly caused significant damage to the home.
“She’s giving him money in installments to get the work done — supposedly to pay for materials — but actually, no work was done,” said Nassau Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Smith. “If you were to see the house now, you’d see the toilet bowl in the kitchen and things moved around.”
Police say the arrest came earlier this week when Anderson returned to the victim’s home to request another payment. He was taken into custody and charged with attempted grand larceny.
Authorities also revealed that Anderson is in the country illegally from England and is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
