Pair accused of operating fake contracting businesses in Lower Merion Township, Pa.

LOWER MERION TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Police in Lower Merion Township are looking to identify further victims of an organized fraud scheme involving fake contracting businesses.

Over the last year, police have conducted several investigations into high-dollar fraud schemes. They say those investigations led to the arrests of Jake Fox and Scott Bradley, both in their 30s.

The two were taken into custody last Thursday and are currently being held in the Montgomery County Prison. Police say they are facing numerous felony and misdemeanor fraud charges related to the operation of fake contracting work.

Fox and Bradley were operating under the business name “PJS Paving & Masonry Corp.” Police say it is also likely they have utilized the business names “Orchard Paving” and “Perfect Paving LLC,” both of which are known to be associated with fraudulent business practices.

Lower Merion police say they recently got a call from homeowners in the Belmont Hills neighborhood, where the pair had been contracted for work.

Lt. Michael Keenan told Action News, “The homeowners were growing uncomfortable with the rapid way in which the company was changing prices and materials and work orders on them without providing any backup information.”

Police say that when Fox and Bradley returned to the neighborhood last Thursday, looking for money from the homeowners, they were taken into custody.

Lt. Keenan said this fits the pattern of itinerant contractor crime.

“Doing some shoddy work, but not following through on any of the exorbitant costs they were quoting the homeowner for all of the projects,” he said. “They may represent themselves with different names, different companies, different phone numbers.”

Police believe these two men are European and frequently change their identities. In fact, they say they were born Patrick and Johnny Joseph Quinn, and that they changed their names prior to entering the United States. Police are still working to determine whether the two are related.

Lt. Keenan said police want to hear from anyone who may have interacted with these men or this specific type of behavior, with high-pressure sales tactics, shoddy or no work done, non-contact, aggressive follow-ups, and insistence on high dollar amounts.

If you or someone you know believes that they are the victim of contractor fraud by Bradley or Fox, you’re asked to contact Lower Merion Police via email at contractorfraud@lowermerion.org.