A Bucks County contractor has been charged with home improvement fraud, deceptive business practices, theft by deception and insurance fraud after authorities say he cheated five customers out of tens of thousands of dollars.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s office, Marc Haworth, 41, of Fairless Hills surrendered Thursday and was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Jan Vislosky. He was released on $250,000 unsecured bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled on Jan. 31.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Haworth is accused of defrauding the owners of five homes in Churchville, Langhorne, Wrightstown and Levittown by accepting more than $149,000 in payments for home improvement projects that he never completed.
Haworth is the owner of Pool & Patio Specialist, LLC, and former owner, with his wife, of three additional firms.
http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html
The Bucks County District Attorney’s office says that the homeowners have had to pay additional contractors thousands more to finish the work Haworth started. Projects included swimming pool construction and upgrades, garage remodeling, and roofing and paving work.
While Haworth’s active companies were insured and registered as required by the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, authorities allege that he obtained those credentials fraudulently.
The District Attorney’s office said he obtained his credentials by lying about his past history of bankruptcy and saying he had no history of fraudulent business practices
In fact, the DA said, Haworth had filed jointly for bankruptcy three times and pleaded guilty in 2005 to charges of deceptive business practices, theft by deception, criminal mischief and receiving stolen property.
Haworth also is accused of lying to Erie Insurance in order to obtain business insurance coverage.
Anyone with information about other questionable activities involving Haworth is asked to contact Detective David Coyne at 215-348-6333 or Detective Eric Landamia at 215-348-6358.
