Crime & Safety
Home Repair Fraudster Rips Off 91-Year-Old Man: Prosecutor
Elderly homeowner was charged thousands of dollars for a $300 home repair job, prosecutor said.
HICKORY HILLS, IL -- A Hickory Hills man was arrested after he overcharged a 91-year-old resident thousands of dollars for a phony home repair job, prosecutors said Wednesday in court.
Angelo Ely, 32, appeared before Cook County Judge Donald Havis on a felony charge of aggravated home repair fraud. Ely also has a pending drug case.
Hickory Hills police said that Ely entered into a contract with the elderly homeowner on Dec. 3, 2016 to repair his stairs for $4,100. Ely cashed the man’s check at a currency exchange.
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Soon after, the stairs began to deteriorate due to shoddy workmanship, the prosecutor said. Another independent contractor gave an estimate of $300 to fix the stairs.
Ely was arrested on Jan. 31. In addition to the pending drug charge, the prosecutor said that Ely also had a past felony conviction for burglary.
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Bail was set at $15,000. Ely’s next court hearing is Feb. 27 in Bridgeview.
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