“As Pennsylvania rebuilds and recovers from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, scammers will try to take advantage of consumer panic to make a profit. I’m asking Pennsylvania homeowners to report suspicious offers to my office,” said Shapiro.

As we recover and rebuild from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, scammers will try and make a quick buck off of Pennsylvanians.

Know the warning signs — and report suspicious offers to my office. https://t.co/kmOhiTEwPq

— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) September 4, 2021

He also reminded residents’ rights when interacting with home improvement contractors. According to the Attorney General official website, as part of Pennsylvania’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, homeowners should remember:

• A home improvement contractor must provide you with a copy of the complete contract, free of charge.
• You have the right to rescind your home improvement contract without penalty within three business days of the signing date, except as provided under law for immediate emergency situations including power or water outages.
• A home improvement contract is not enforceable against a consumer if it does not include all of the information required by law.
• A contractor may not demand or receive any payment for a home improvement before the home improvement contract is signed. After the contract is signed, the contractor cannot request more than one-third of a contract price totaling more than $5,000 before completion of the project.
• All contractors must display their official registration number on all contracts, estimates, proposals, and advertisements distributed within the Commonwealth.The Office of Attorney General reminded Pennsylvanians that:

• After major storms like Hurricane Ida, homeowners may see more instances of scams related to home improvement contracting and government loans or grants.
• Legitimate contractors and government agencies will not send Pennsylvanians unsolicited offers.
• Legitimate organizations will also not ask for large sums of money, and will provide written estimates and contracts before entering into any agreements.
• Under Pennsylvania law, contractors who perform home improvements totaling more than $5,000 per year are required to register with the Office. Pennsylvanians are encouraged to verify contractor registration by calling or emailing the Office.

Protection from scams

Pennsylvanians are also encouraged to take proactive steps to protect themselves from home improvement scams by:

• Contacting their insurance companies to ensure that improvements are covered under their policy. Once a homeowner selects a contractor to complete repairs, they should not sign insurance checks or claims over to a contractor.
• Arranging with their bank or credit union for a Certificate of Completion. The bank will pay the contractor for each stage of the job after they have given their approval.

The Office of Attorney General’s contractor registration search feature is available at https://hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov.

You can read: How to help people affected by Ida in New Jersey?

If homeowners encounter problems with their contractor that cannot be settled through the contract or encounter a scam contractor, they are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Attorney General by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov or calling 1-800-441-2555.

The post Josh Shapiro warns residents of home repair scams after Hurricane Ida appeared first on El Sol News Media.

As published by attorneygeneral.gov, citizens were deceived by Defendants through entering into unfair and unlawful “for sale by owner” purchases of uninhabitable family homes.

“Harbour sold uninhabitable, overpriced homes at unlawful interest rates to Pennsylvanians who were only hoping to have a place to raise their family and build savings,” said Attorney General Shapiro.

“Today, we’ve given money back to consumers to ease the financial burden placed on families by a cynical, heartless scam. I’m asking any Pennsylvanians who have been impacted by Harbour to reach out to my office at scams@attorneygeneral.gov”

You can read: Drug trafficking enterprise was shut down in Allegheny County

Shapiro sued defendants, including Charles A. Vose III in July 2018, for reselling homes at prices that were generally three to four times more than Harbour had paid for the homes just days or weeks before. The homes had no improvements.

No basic essentials

Homes sold by Harbour were usually in run-down condition, sold without disclosure of defects, and often lacking basic essentials.

According to the Attorney General, the company sold at least 80 homes of this kind in Pennsylvania.

Harbour required a large, non-refundable down payment and then asked victims to sign “Agreement for Deed” paperwork. The paperwork looked like conventional mortgage documentation, but did not include a deed in the buyer’s name or other standard protections.

According to the lawsuit, Harbour was collecting interest on the home contracts at almost twice the maximum rate permitted by the state law for this type of transaction. Defendants have agreed to pay $500,000 in restitution to consumers who entered into land installment contracts with them for Pennsylvania homes.

The post Josh Shapiro won $500,000 in restitution for scammed residents appeared first on El Sol News Media.

The operation was the result of a coordinated effort between Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office, McKeesport Police, and Elizabeth Township Police Department.

“Gun and drug trafficking is a dangerous and often violent enterprise,” Attorney General Shapiro said. “Thanks to our partnership with local law enforcement partners, these unsecured weapons could not be released into neighborhoods and communities to wreak havoc. We’re committed to stopping these trafficking operations wherever they’re found.”

Attorney General Josh Shapiro is in McKeesport this morning and has just announced the leader of a drug trafficking ring in the Mon Valley, has been arrested.

More than $50k dollars in drugs were seized as well as illegal weapons. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/VhVO1kSp1c

— Bryant Reed (@Reed_Reports) July 28, 2021

According to CBS Pittsburgh, a search warrant was executed at the home of 42-year-old Franklin Gribschaw and during that effort, $6,540 in cash, three shotguns, two AR-style rifles, a handgun, 461 grams of crystal methamphetamines, 59 grams of crack cocaine, 59 grams of cocaine, 50 grams of MDMA, 22 bricks of more than 3,000 doses of heroin, and drug paraphernalia was seized.

A strategic response

Attorney General Josh Shapiro held a news conference with McKeesport Police Chief Adam Alfer and Elizabeth Township Acting Police Chief Adam Blake to discuss the drug trafficking investigation.

“This guy had crystal meth in his house, with nine unsecured guns in his house and a little kid living there. A little kid had to live amongst all of this,” Shapiro said as reported by wtae.com

You can read: Drug distribution and human trafficking ring dismantled in Berks County

Gribschaw is being charged with possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal use of a communications facility.

Shapiro touted the work of a new strategic response team in his office’s narcotics bureau that was launched this month. Agents have already made 12 arrests and executed five search warrants while working with local police departments, he said.

The post Drug trafficking enterprise was shut down in Allegheny County appeared first on El Sol News Media.

Wolf expressed his neutrality in an interview to the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday. “I’m not weighing in on the primary.” He said he’s “letting the Democrats decide who they want in the primary, and then I will support that candidate.”

In 2019, Gov. Wolf endorsed state Attorney General Josh Shapiro for governor, even though Shapiro still has not formally announced his candidacy.

His declaration also represents a contrast from 2016, when he made an early endorsement in that year’s hard-fought Senate primary, backing Katie McGinty, his former chief of staff, over Fetterman and former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak. He weighed in less than two months after McGinty entered the race, and as the Democratic establishment coalesced around her.

You can read: PASHE merges six state universities into two institutions

Gov. Wolf noted that Shapiro is the only major Democratic figure said to be considering a run for governor, while a number of well-known Democrats are either actively campaigning or said to be eyeing the Senate contest.

Besides Fetterman, Democrats running for Senate include Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia. U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb of Allegheny County is also seen as a likely candidate, and State Sen. Sharif Street of Philadelphia has formed an exploratory committee.

Array of choices

Asked why he would endorse in the nascent gubernatorial primary but not for Senate, Wolf pointed to the array of choices in the Senate race.

“There’s really only one, that I know of, gubernatorial candidate,” he said. “I’ve worked closely with Josh for a long time, and I think he is a strong candidate and would be a good, good governor. All the (Senate candidates) who have announced so far I think are really good people. I would have no problem with any of them.”

The post Gov. Tom Wolf says he will not endorse anyone for Senate appeared first on El Sol News Media.

As reported by wfmz.com, during the course of the investigation, agents say they seized 60 firearms, including two stolen handguns, 300 grams of crystal methamphetamine, $27,435.00 in cash, three vehicles, and other paraphernalia.

It was reported that they arrested Randy Cronrath, Clayton Hoppe, Steven Lightcap, James Michelin, and Derek Wagner for their alleged participation in operating a methamphetamine trafficking organization in Berks, Chester, and Montgomery counties.

You can read: Missing New Jersey young mother found dead

“Drug trafficking is a dangerous and often violent enterprise that makes communities less safe,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “These defendants used stolen firearms to peddle poison into Pennsylvania communities. We’re committed to working with our local and state partners to make Pennsylvania neighborhoods safer.”

Using databases like the Office’s Track + Trace, the stolen handguns were able to be safely recovered, and not used as untraceable weapons in future crimes, officials stated.

Make Pennsylvania safer

All defendants have been charged with Corrupt Organizations, Possession with Intent to Deliver, and Possession of Controlled Substances. Cronrath and Michlen have been charged with Receiving Stolen Property, and Cronrath has also additionally been charged with Possession Of Firearms, investigators declared.

The investigation was conducted in partnership with the Montgomery County District Attorney Detectives, officials in both departments stated. This case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Christie Bonesch.

All charges are accusations. The defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The post PA. Attorney General Shapiro seizes stolen guns and shuts down meth ring appeared first on El Sol News Media.

According to an ABA Journal report, the District Attorney was charged by a state investigative grand jury, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday.

Salsman won an election for district attorney in 2019. The outgoing district attorney referred the case against Salsman to Shapiro, according to the PhillyVoice.

“Chad Salsman would regularly use his position and power as an attorney to coerce his victims into performing sexual acts on him,” Shapiro alleged in a press release. “He would bring them into his private office, under the guise of discussing their case, and used his knowledge of his clients’ vulnerabilities to negate their consent and sexually assault them.”

You can read: Top PA election official Kathy Boockvar to resign after agency mistake

Some of the clients were criminal defendants, while others were involved in custody cases. Shapiro alleged that Salsman took advantage of the women’s vulnerable conditions to exploit and then silence them.

They did not know each other

Salsman is accused of allegedly having sexual intercourse with three of the women, having indecent contact with those three women and two others, waiving attorney fees for sexual intercourse with one of the women, trying to intimidate the women to prevent them from reporting the misconduct to police or prosecutors, and suggesting that one of the them should not cooperate in the investigation.

The five women didn’t know each other, and they corroborated information known only to other victims, Shapiro said.

The charges include sexual assault, indecent assault, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.

Salsman’s lawyer, Samuel Stretton, told Law.com that the charges are not accurate, and Salsman is “absolutely and totally innocent.” Stretton vowed to “fight this vigorously.”

The post PA District Attorney, Chad Salsman charged with alleged sexual assault appeared first on El Sol News Media.

According to an Associated Press report, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Monday that agents executed search warrants last week in 30 locations believed to be connected to the organizations, whose activities he said have been linked to two Philadelphia-area shootings.

Drugs sold by the groups have been located as far away as Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Virginia as well as Pennsylvania, he said.

You can read: Dismantled methamphetamine drug ring that operated in Bucks County

Shapiro also released the names of almost three dozen people he said were among those arrested.

The probe was part of the Kensington initiative, a local, state and federal law enforcement partnership targeting major criminal drug organizations in the northeast Philadelphia neighborhood.

The post Authorities’ investigation in Kensington netted drugs, 20 weapons and $480,000 appeared first on El Sol News Media.