Man Arrested After Home Improvement Fraud Incident

Editor's note: as Patch received documentation showing there was no record in the court, one person's information was removed from this article alongside content which could serve to identify them.

Newtown Township Police have arrested a Montgomery County man on charges stemming from the construction of a pool at a Wrightstown Township residence.

Arthur Gelembiuk, 50, of Skippack Pike in Cedars, was arrested for deceptive business practices that allegedly cost the victims $24,180.

According to police, the victims hired a landscape contractor in November 2010 to construct a custom in-ground pool on their property. The landscape contractor retained the services of Arthur Gelembiuk, who was doing business as Platinum Outdoor Living, police said.

The victims paid a retainer fee of $2,500 to Platinum Outdoor Living, police said. As project manager, Arthur Gelembiuk was to provide construction drawings, site visits and supply licensed and insured qualified sub-contractors.

Arthur Gelembiuk requested that the victims pay all of the sub-contractors hired for the project through his company, police said.

In December, the victims began to make payments to Platinum Outdoor Living for the work the sub-contractors were responsible for, including a payment of $17,280 to a company who Arthur Gelembiuk said was going to spray concrete into the pool, police said.

Arthur Gelembiuk told the landscape contractor that the concrete work would begin around December 18, 2010. According to police, he offered excuses about the lack of progress until June 14, 2011, when the concrete work began.

The original contractor learned that Gelembiuk had not contacted the workers to have the concrete done until three to five days before they began, police said. At this time, it was discovered that Arthur Gelembiuk had not forwarded the payments to the subcontractors made by the victims.

Police charged him with:

• Theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy to commit same
• Theft by deception-false impression and conspiracy to commit same
• Receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit same
• Theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and conspiracy to commit same
• Deceptive business practices and conspiracy to commit same
• Home improvement fraud

Gelembiuk was arraigned in front of Judge Donald Nasshorn and sent to Bucks County Prison. His bail was set at $500,000.

Anyone who feels that they have been victimized by Gelembiuk should contact Detective Palko at (215) 968-2800 ext 277 or by email at cpalko@twp.newtown.pa.us.