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A Hatfield-based contractor who was arrested last April on felony deceptive business practice charges has been arrested again, after he allegedly scammed a homeowner in Lower Gwynedd Township out of more than $110,000.
Paul Bauder, 61, now of West Chester, has been charged with felony counts of deceptive business practices, theft by deception, and receiving advanced payment but failing to render services, in connection with the investigation by the Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department. Bauder is being held in county jail in lieu of 10% of $100,000 cash bail, according to court records.
Bauder is the owner of Hatfield-based Paul Bauder Construction Inc.
According to the criminal complaint, Lower Gwynedd Police began their investigation into Bauder after a resident came forward on Nov. 22, 2021, to file a complaint about deceptive business practices. The victim told police that they had contracted with Bauder in April 2021 for several major home improvement projects, and despite paying in advance for the projects, Bauder either failed to start or finish the projects, the report states.
Investigators said between April 2021 and September 2021, the victim issued seven checks at Bauder’s request totaling $111,580. The funds were to be used for supplies, materials and other necessities to complete the work, however police said there was no record of those items ever being purchased and the work either never began or was left incomplete.
The report also states that there is no record of Bauder requesting permits from the township for the agreed-upon work.
Over the course of several months, the victim repeatedly contacted Bauder to find out the status of the projects, police said. Bauder would provide excuses from supply chain issues to a lack of people wanting to work, according to the complaint, and eventually stopped responding to calls and texts from the victim in late October 2021.
Police said that since Bauder abandoned the jobs and ceased communicating with the victim, he has not returned any of the money he had been paid. The report states that a review of Bauder’s bank accounts showed the money received for the projects was instead used for other expenses not detailed or agreed-upon in the paperwork.
Lower Gwynedd Police officially filed charges against Bauder on Jan. 24, and he was subsequently taken into custody on Feb. 10. His next court appearance on the new charges is a preliminary hearing on Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. in front of District Judge Suzan Leonard.
Bauder was previously arrested by Hatfield Township Police in April 2021 on nearly three-dozen felony charges in connection with alleged deceptive business practices. In that investigation, Bauder allegedly scammed six victims out of a combined $531,717, according to the complaint.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Local Contractor Scammed Area Residents Out of More Than $500,000, Police Say
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Local Man Tased After Assaulting Police Responding to Domestic Incident, Police Say
Hatfield Man Used Snapchat to Trade for Child Pornography Videos, Police Say
Harleysville Man Arrested in Connection with Merck Employee Who Fatally Overdosed While at Work
