(Katrina) Contractor arrested during storm victim's meeting

[Maddy McCall]

April 8, 2006

Contractor arrested during storm victims' meeting

By Chris Joyner
[e-mail]


State and federal prosecutors announced this week more Hurricane Katrina-related fraud arrests, including the arrest of a contractor at a meeting called for homeowners to discuss home repair fraud.

Joseph Patrick Gately, 38, of Milford, Mass., was arrested Tuesday in Biloxi and charged with two counts of embezzlement and one count of fraud. In addition, Gately faces one count of being a fugitive and one count of failure to register as a convicted felon. Gately was being held in the Harrison County jail in lieu of $202,000 in bonds. No court date has been scheduled.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said the arrest was unusual. "About 35 people were having a meeting about this guy who was taking their money," Hood said. "This guy shows up, and he starts lying so much that our investigator arrested him on the spot."

Gately is charged with embezzlement and fraud in connection with money he received for home repair jobs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Homeowners complained that Gately accepted money but either did not complete the work or never began the job.

More at link below.

SIGNS OF A SCAM

Strangers arriving at your door offering to do repairs - often arriving in an unmarked truck or van.

Door-to-door salespeople claiming, "We've just finished a job nearby and have material left over so we can do the job for half the price."

A post office box address, with no street address, or a telephone number that is just an answering service.

High pressure sales tactics.

Refusal to give you a written estimate, contract or references.

Contractors who want to rush your decisions.

Requirements for a large down payment.

Source: State Attorney General's office


http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060408/NEWS0110/604080334/1001/news

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. This whole issue makes me so mad

I can barely comment on these threads anymore.

Last night, a good friend of mine and I were talking about the Gulf Coast and I said I thought the insurance carriers who are ignoring claims and denying them for ridiculous reasons should be charged with crimes. She laughed and said 'are you so naive that you believe insurance companies don't do this all the time?'

Damn, we are allowing a huge part of our country to sit there, in a state of disrepair, and it's okay, since this is SOP for insurance companies?

[Maddy McCall]

2. It's NOT ok. Did you know that insurance companies had record profits...

in 2006, despite Katrina? That's because they refuse to pay claims that they are OBLIGATED to pay!

Look at merh. Still paying a mortgage on a house (and even SLAB) that isn't there anymore. Even though she has proof that the wind tore her house off of the slab, the insurance company won't even talk to her. She and most of the victims of Katrina are going to have to sue to get any kind of pay-out, and even then they may not win, because our crooked judges will just nullify any jury award.

Yes, it fucking sucks and it makes me angry as hell, too.

:grr:

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. A couple years ago, we had an ice storm here

A month or so later, we got a check for several hundred dollars from our insurance company. But we had never filed a claim! So I called, assuming it was a mistake. Turns out our carrier had sent adjusters into our neighborhood, and they had inspected our property - WITHOUT our permission (we figured it must have happened one day when we weren't home)- and decided we needed to be reimbursed for storm cleanup!

We had spent maybe an hour gathering limbs and dragging them to the curb, we had two grown male children who did the lion's share of the work, and the city sent out a special pickup to take our storm debris away. In other words, it hadn't cost us a dime to clean up after the storm.

I told our insurance guy that if our rates went up over this I would be livid. I wanted to return the check. He laughed, said we should count our blessings.

I donated the lion's share of that check to a homeless shelter. My Karma wouldn't let me keep it. I wish I had kept it now and donated it to Katrina relief.

[AndyTiedye]

12. I Think I Want To Sign Up With YOUR Insurance Company

[rodeodance]

5. It has become the norm for citizens to have to file law suits just to get

corporate america's attention. Then we dish out $$$$. it goes on and on and I feel helpless most of the time.

[ninkasi]

13. Adding insult to injury

will be Repukes screaming for a stop to "frivolous lawsuits", which is any lawsuit trying to make a business pay legitimate claims. After a cap was put on medical malpractice lawsuits in Texas, the insurance companies had the nerve to ask for rate increases for medical malpractice...the cap was supposed to stop rising insurance costs, but didn't, of course.

[uppityperson]

3. HI Maddy, glad to see 1 scammer down.

Now only 23423412341351451345153145 to go. Insurance companies are in the business of making money. That is all. It is legalized, regularily mandated gambling. The whole system is broken, hand feeding hand and ignoring the body. Insurance fraud (by insurance companies)=lying, cheating, stealing white collar crime.

[Maddy McCall]

6. Hey!

Got your PM. Hate that I missed you. Wish you were here next week, because I have a week-long vacation!

I'll reply to you this afternoon. Right now, I'm getting up to clean my funky house, since I'll be spending my vacation time in my home. :D

Thank you for your volunteerism, ma'am.

:loveya: :hi:

[uppityperson]

7. come visit here. It is about 50 degrees out, overcast, green

daffodils are up as are peonies. No debris. Odd.

[Maddy McCall]

8. We're going to tour state parks here, and go fishing every day.

:D

Thanks for the invite, though! Hope to see you in the fall. :hi:

[uppityperson]

11. Well that sounds like a fun break.

fish, camp, read books, hang out. No computer. :hug:

[skids]

9. Keep him.

We don't want his sort back here in MA.

[Akoto]

10. My grandmother was similarly scammed.

We live in Florida. My grandmother's home, which is one of those assembled deals in the retirement communities, took some damages from hurricane Wilma. She and her friend hired a contractor to do the repairs.

My grandmother gave the guy some money, but after he began working, we found out that he had not posted a permit on the house. We told her not to give him any more cash until he did so, as that was not right. My grandmother's friend does the same. The next thing we know, some guy from the contracting company visits their houses and deliberately tries to scare them. Grandma's friend was so scared, in fact, that she gave him the money so he'd leave. As for my grandmother? Well, lets just say she used to hunt for her food and keeps a pearl-handled pistol under her pillow. ;)

After she told the guy she wasn't paying until he posted a permit, and that he should get the hell out, she didn't see them again for over a year. They've been sending crews recently because we had tracked down the guy and his associates, and she was moving to take legal action.