Crime & Safety

Contractor Charged with Taking Money, Failing to Perform Work

A Philadelphia man allegedly took homeowners' deposits and failed to carry out contracted home improvements, according to Bensalem Police.

An unregistered Philadelphia contractor has been charged with 10 felonies for allegedly taking deposits from two homeowners for work he did not complete.

Michael Kevin Walker, 38, of Van Dike Street, is accused of taking down payments totaling $2,270 from two Bensalem women for home improvement projects that he never carried out, according to court documents. 

One of the homeowners paid Walker $350 in cash sometime around June 9 for the installation of a ceiling fan, while the other woman paid him $1,920 on May 28 for a closet renovation, according to court documents. 

Both women reported to police that after paying Walker they did not see from him again and he did not carry out the contracted work on their homes.

Police contacted Walker on Aug. 1 and he allegedly acknowledged taking the money as a deposit for the yet-to-be-completed work. Walker reportedly told police that he "would pay the money back, but has several different issues and is trying to raise the money to return it."

According to court documents, police gave him an Aug. 21 deadline to return the money to avoid being charged with theft. 

Since Aug. 30, police had been trying to reach Walker, who, according to police, left a voicemail message saying he lost his job and had been trying to raise the money, according to an affidavit of probable cause dated Sept. 11. 

Walker, who reportedly admitted to police that he is not a registered state contractor as required by the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Act, has been charged with 10 felonies–including two counts of receiving advance payments for services that have not been performed; two counts of deceptive business practices; and two counts of theft by deception - false impression–stemming from the two alleged incidents. 

He was remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10 percent of $50,000 bail. 

Walker awaits preliminary hearings later this month for these charges and faces additional charges out of Bensalem and Warminster for similar incidents, according to police. 



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