Construction firm accused of scamming elderly couple

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE May 14, 2012 3:06PM

A consumer fraud lawsuit was filed Monday alleging a north suburban construction company scammed an elderly couple rebuilding a porch on an apartment building on the South Side.

The Cook County States Attorneys office filed the suit against George Zachary, the owner of Upscale Design Corp. and Value Built Construction with offices in Lincolnwood and Deerfield, according to a release from the states attorneys office.

Zachary failed to refund down payments made by the couple for porch repairs on the building they owned even after the states attorneys office demanded him.

The victims, 74 and 75 years old, hired Zachary in April 2011 to rebuild a two-story porch on an apartment building they owned on Chicagos South Side, the release said. He met with the couple, who paid Zachary two deposits totaling $3,200 for the project that was estimated at $7,000. Zachary was to obtain required permits, start the job within 30 days and complete construction within 7 days.

Zachary arrived at the victims property two and a half months later with a work crew to demolish the porch, the release said. He never returned to deliver materials or start construction of the porch.

The couple repeatedly called Zachary during the next several weeks to find out when he would begin building the porch, the suit said. He did not answer any of their calls except when the couple called on a payphone from a different phone number. He then gave numerous excuses, claimed to have been out of town on a family emergency and that he was experiencing personal financial difficulties.

City building inspectors fined the couple $250 in August 2011 and placed a stop work order on the project because their porch had been demolished without a permit, the release said. The couple went to pay the $250 fine as well as $200 for the permit and the citys building department told them that Zachary had applied for the permit but never paid the fee. They were also told that the Zacharys license had expired.

The couple then contacted the Cook County States Attorneys Consumer Fraud Unit. The suit seeks a permanent injunction against Zachary for fraudulent and unlawful business practices, refunds for the consumers, civil penalties of up to $50,000 and an additional $10,000 in civil penalties for each violation committed against a person 65 or older.

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Construction firm accused of scamming elderly couple