SABATTUS — A Randolph man has been charged with home repair fraud after he was accused of scamming an elderly woman out of money for work he never performed.
Jason Alec Pratt Kennebec County Jail
Jason Alec Pratt, 43, was charged with home repair fraud and theft by unauthorized taking for allegedly accepting the woman’s money as a down payment for work and then disappearing without making any repairs.
Sabattus police are investigating the case and said Pratt has a history of similar schemes in other communities, including Gardiner, Richmond, Belgrade, Winslow and Greenville.
Court records show Pratt has served time in jail on convictions that included theft and criminal threatening.
Pratt was operating under the business name Pratt Building & Roofing in October 2019 when he agreed to do work for the woman in Sabattus. He took her down payment, police said, signed a contract and then disappeared without ever contacting the woman again.
Investigators did not disclose how much money the woman had paid him, although the amount was enough for police to get a felony indictment against Pratt.
Police said some of Pratt’s home repair fraud was committed while he was under court supervision with Maine Pre-Trial Service in Kennebec County, after he was charged with unrelated crimes.
Pratt has been at the Kennebec County Jail in Augusta on those earlier charges since March.
Earlier this month, a grand jury in Androscoggin County found there was enough evidence to indict Pratt on the latest charges of home repair fraud and theft.
Sabattus police said they hope the indictment will prompt anyone who has experienced similar fraud to come forward. They also hope it will prevent others from dealing with Pratt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Dan Davies of the Sabattus Police Department at 207-375-6952 or ddavies@sabattus.org.
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