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Three N.Y. Men Charged In New Canaan Chimney Scam

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Three New York men are accused of trying to scam a New Canaan woman on a chimney cleaning and repair project, New Canaan Police say.

Frederick Dapice III

Frederick Dapice III

Photo Credit: New Canaan Police Department
Paul W. Scalia

Paul W. Scalia

Photo Credit: New Canaan Police Department
Robert J. Houlahan

Robert J. Houlahan

Photo Credit: New Canaan Police Department.

Frederick Dapice III, 41, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., Paul W. Scalia, 35, of East Northport, N.Y., and Robert J. Houlahan, 45, of Deer Park, N.Y., were each charged with home improvement without a certificate of registration, working without a building permit and failure to obey a tax permit.

Dapice and Houlahan were also charged with second-degree larceny, and Dapice was additionally charged with impersonation of a registered salesman or contractor and failure to provide notices in a sales agreement.

An elderly Mariomi Road woman called police on Jan. 18 and said two men visited her home and told her she needed to have her chimney cleaned. Police said the men, who claimed to work for All American Maintenance and Restoration, inspected the woman’s chimney and said it would cost $3,200 to clean and repair.

The woman gave the men a check for $1,000, a deposit for the work, and the men said they would return on Thursday, according to the police report.

Three men arrived at the woman's home Thursday in a van with New York license plates and were confronted by New Canaan officers, who said they determined that the men did not have a home improvement certificate or a building permit and were not licensed contractors.

Dapice and Scalia were released on $5,000 bonds and are scheduled to appear on Feb. 6 in Norwalk Superior Court. Houlahan was held on a $7,500 bond and appeared Friday in Norwalk Court.

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