The office of Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly is accusing a contractor of attempting to scam an elderly Franklin Square couple out of nearly $130,000 for work on their home that he never intended to do.
President of New Dawn Construction out of Jefferson, NY, Clifford Whitaker, 43, was arraigned in Nassau County Court on Thursday, April 3 on charges related to his attempt to prey upon an 80-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife by telling them that their roof was damaged and offering to repair it for $2,500.
However, repeated visits to the couples' home resulted in additional "problems" purportedly being found, with Whitaker swelling his repair estimates to a whopping $129,000.
Whitaker even went so far as to draw up fake claim approval paperwork from the victim's insurance company, Liberty Mutual, despite no claim ever having been filed on their behalf, according to prosecutors.
Ultimately, the couple never paid Whitaker the $129,000; he was later arrested on Wednesday, April 2.
Whitaker was arraigned on charges of insurance fraud, attempted grand larceny, scheme to defraud, and forgery, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. Bail was set at $50,000.
Authorities believe a second individual may have been involved in Whitaker's scheme and are currently searching for them. Anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Whitaker is urged to call the Nassau DA’s Criminal Complaints Unit at 516-571-3505.