Grindstone men charged for scamming 87-year-old widow in home repair
A father and son are facing charges for allegedly stealing from an 87-year-old widow in Grindstone and installing a wireless router, saying it was a tankless hot water heater.
Michael Lucosh Sr., 66, and Michael Lucosh Jr., 27, both of Grindstone are accused of causing a serious hazard to the woman and her home in Jefferson Township, Fayette County.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the men were assigned to install a tankless hot water heater through B&M Electric in Brownsville. During the course of the work, Lucosh Jr. allegedly stole a debit card, two checks and cash from the woman’s purse. Lucosh Sr. allegedly forged and cashed the checks. The woman reported the theft to state police July 30.
She later discovered a fake hot water tank was installed.
On August 11, she called DiPaolo Quality Climate Control in New Eagle to evaluate the work that was completed. The worker found no water heater was installed. In its place was a wireless internet router with wiring and piping connected to a hot circuit box. State police said the wiring was uncapped and bare, posing “a serious fire and shock hazard,” court documents said.
Immediately following the installation, Lukosh Jr. told the woman it would “just take awhile to heat up,” state police said.
A new tankless hot water heater was properly installed by DiPaolo.
Lucosh Jr. is charged with three counts of forgery, receiving advanced payment for service and failing to perform, misrepresenting an item, altered access device, unauthorized use of an access device, possession of a counterfeit access device, and two counts each of theft and receiving stolen property. He had not yet been arrested as of Thursday afternoon.
Lucosh Sr. is charged with two counts each of conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to receive advanced payment for service and failing to perform and one count each of misrepresenting an item and receiving stolen property. He was arrested Thursday afternoon and released on a $50,000 unsecured bond, meaning he did not have to post bail as a condition of his release.
Charges were filed before Magisterial District Judge Mike Defino Jr.