A man who was barred from working as a contractor in Massachusetts after he scammed numerous customers there has been arrested in Falmouth for a similar scheme, police say.

Richard T. Myers, 41, was arrested at a West Falmouth bar on a charge of felony theft and on a warrant issued by Bridgton on a terrorizing charge.

Falmouth police have been working with the Maine Attorney General’s Office, which has received more than a dozen complaints from homeowners saying Myers took deposits for work that he either didn’t do or left unfinished, said Lt. John Kilbride.

In the Falmouth case, a couple signed a contract for Myers to do some work on their chimney and paid a $700 deposit but he never showed up, Kilbride said. Myers advertised by distributing multi-page glossy fliers.

To track down Myers, police pretended to be someone who needed chimney work done and sought to meet with him. Myers didn’t show up but an associate did, who helped police find Myers at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Last December, Attorney General Janet Mills issued a scam alert naming Myers, who lived in Hanover, Massachusetts, at the time.

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Massachusetts’ attorney general took repeated action against Myers and he was barred from running a home repair business in that state after he was found to have a long record of defrauding customers.

Myers has operated under the name Atlantic Restoration Company and Beacon Light Chimney.

In 2011, Myers was ordered to pay back $291,000 to customers, $300,000 in civil penalties and $125,000 in fees.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office starting getting complaints about Myers last year.

Anyone with questions or concerns about dealing with home repair contractors is encouraged to call the attorney general’s consumer protection division at (800) 436-2131.


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