A Bridgeport man is facing home improvement fraud charges after he allegedly took $14,000 from a Hatfield Borough resident to repair their porch and deck, only to ignore their follow up requests and fail to provide the work.
Martin Malinowski, 44, of Hometrack LLC, has been charged with felony counts of deceptive business practices, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, false statements to induce agreement for home improvement services and receiving advance payment for services and fails to perform, in connection with the investigation by the Hatfield Township Police Department.
Police were contacted by the victim in February, who stated that they had entered into a $30,000 contract with Malinowski in 2021 to repair their porch and deck. The contract was allegedly signed by both parties and was scheduled to be completed in August 2021, however no work was performed and Malinowski stopped responding to the victim’s calls and texts, police said.
Between June 1, 2021, and Oct. 3, 2021, the victim provided three checks totaling $14,000, police said, however Malinowski performed none of the agreed upon work and made excuses for the delays. All three checks were endorsed and cashed by Malinowski, according to the charging documents.
Additionally, officials from Hatfield Borough and Hatfield Township confirmed to police that Malinowski never applied for permits to perform the work — something he told the victim he was going to do during their interaction on Oct. 3, 2021, police said.
Investigators spoke with Malinowski on Feb. 5, 2022, at which point he said he was busy with other projects and would not be able to perform the work, the report states. Malinowski admitted to failing to apply for the permits and advised he would refund the money to the victim by Feb. 28, according to the complaint.
Malinowski failed to refund the money by the agreed upon date, causing charges to be filed against him, police said.
Court records show he was taken into custody on March 29 and arraigned by District Judge Cathleen Rebar, who set bail at $10,000 unsecured. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on May 4 at 9:30 a.m. in front of District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Two More Teen Suspects Charged in Sellersville Kidnapping Conspiracy, Additional Details Released
Two Men Arrested After Punching Woman, Running Her Over with SUV, Police Say
State Troopers Arrest Fort Washington Man in Connection with Road Rage Shootings on Turnpike
