Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Coal Region Canary
Coal Region CanaryCoal Region Canary

Schuylkill County Police News

State Police Arrest “Transient” Father-Son on Home Improvement Fraud Charge

Victims could live in Schuylkill County, too.

State Police say they’ve arrested a father-son duo on a felony home improvement fraud charge. And they believe there could be more victims of their fraud, including here in Schuylkill County.

The arrest came after an investigation into a complaint filed in mid-December in Longswamp Twp., Berks County. It’s there, police say, an elderly man reported he was scammed by a home improvement contractor and his son.

Police identified the purported scammer as James Patrick Burke, 50, who was allegedly working in tandem with his juvenile son. They say Burke is a “transient” with a home in Bear, DE.

Burke allegedly told the elderly man his chimney was in need of repair. He wanted $3,800 for the job.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1658728627906147

Police picked up the Burkes in December. But they believe this Berks County man may not be their only victim.

According to information released by PSP Public Information Officer Tpr. David Beohm, the Burkes may have tried to pull a similar con on others in Berks and neighboring counties, which might include Schuylkill County.

Here’s a photo police released of the elder Burke on Monday:

James Patrick BURKE

Burke may have used this business card to promote his services or give his clients a contact number:

james burke business card

Police are asking anyone who may have had contact with the Burkes – or those who’ve suffered home improvement fraud – to contact Tpr. Max Seiler at PSP-Reading. He can be reached at 610-378-4011

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1658728627906147

Subscribe to Coal Region Canary

Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!
Loading

News Tips?

Let us know of news happening in your area. Use our NEWS TIPS ENTRY FORM
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More From The Canary

Local Weather

The wet weekend continues on Sunday.

Schuylkill County Police News

A Schuylkill County woman is facing a terroristic threats charge after reportedly saying she’d kill a daughter and her mother in New Philadelphia. According...

Local News

His admission is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in this case.

Local Business News

Redevelopment clearly in the works.

Local News

People looking for rentals on Facebook Marketplace might beg to differ with this study.

Schuylkill County Man

Two spotlights, actually ... and they were floodlights.

Local News

Rovers and machine delivery drivers will get a modest bump in pay.

Local News

Don't miss Public Comments at the beginning!

PA Lottery Numbers

The Powerball jackpot has surged to $850 million for tonight’s drawing, following an increase from $835 million on Wednesday morning due to robust ticket...

Local News

They always say the key to getting ahead in life is in who you know. Nowhere is that more true than in Schuylkill County,...

Local Sports

North Schuylkill grad gets a chance to show off two-way skills.

Local News

Bomb threat was part of a nationwide chain of threats.

Advertisement https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1658728627906147