Montco contractor who ‘created misery and financial ruin’ after failing to complete work is sentenced to prison
Jared Wyllie, 48, pleaded guilty last year to receiving stolen property, court records show, and a Montgomery County judge sentenced him to three to six years in prison.
A Pottstown home contractor who presented bogus credentials and failed to complete work on projects for which he was paid more than $156,000 was sentenced to prison, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jared Wyllie, 48, pleaded guilty last year to receiving stolen property, court records show, and a Montgomery County judge sentenced him this month to three to six years in prison. He must also pay back the money to his victims, one of whom had to sell her home at a loss after paying him more than $100,000, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday.
Wyllie and his company, PROjex LLC, in 2021 and 2022 signed contract agreements with four homeowners, who made some of their payments up front. Wyllie obtained permits from local municipalities using contractor licenses that investigators later found were registered to other entities that had nothing to do with his business.
He initially faced additional charges including theft by unlawful taking and forgery, but those were later dropped, as is common in plea agreements.
“A person’s home is their castle, and in this case, the defendant created misery and financial ruin for several individuals who trusted him with their homes,” Sunday, a Republican, said in a news release Tuesday.
James E. Tone, a public defender who represents Wyllie, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The home improvement work Wyllie agreed to perform included repairing water damage, replacing a leaking roof, finishing a basement, and demolishing walls and kitchens, according to court records.
In one instance cited in court records, Wyllie began demolition work on a Chester County house, rendering it unlivable for a period of time, so his customer temporarily moved to a hotel. From February to April 2022, the victim paid Wyllie a total of more than $108,000. He ignored her calls or made excuses for why the work couldn’t be finished.
“Wyllie ultimately did not complete the work as contracted, and the owner was forced to sell her home at a loss since she could not afford to have the renovations completed after Wyllie’s failure to deliver,” the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
Sunday encouraged homeowners to do research, check references, and get more than one estimate before selecting a contractor.