A home improvement contractor who is awaiting trial in Allegheny County for allegedly taking money up front for work that wasn’t done has been accused of doing the same thing to a family in Lower Burrell.
Jason Raymond Mager, 47, of the 400 block of Ridge Avenue in Springdale was charged Dec. 21 with a misdemeanor count of receiving a $1,560 payment for a new fence that was never installed. He was charged by summons and ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec on Feb. 6.
According to a criminal complaint, the family gave Mager a certified bank check April 26 and communicated with him through text messages multiple times about when he would begin the project.
The family told police Mager stopped responding to their texts Oct. 10.
It was the second time in as many months that Lower Burrell police charged Mager with taking money for work he failed to do.
On Oct. 24, police filed a felony count of receiving advanced payment for work that he failed to complete. Court records show that Mager did not appear for a Dec. 5 preliminary hearing scheduled before Yakopec.
In October 2022, Harrison police filed six felony counts against Mager after two residents reported they paid him money up front for work he never completed.
He was charged with two counts each of making false statements to get victims to sign a contract, theft by deception and deceptive or false business practices.
Mager waived his right to a preliminary hearing March 22 and was ordered to stand trial, court records show. Formal arraignment was scheduled for May 8, but a trial date has not been scheduled, according to the court docket.
Harrison police charged Mager after a couple reported they paid him $6,800 cash to enclose their porch but he never did the work.
In April, Mager pleaded guilty in Allegheny County Court to a misdemeanor count of theft by unlawful taking and was sentenced to two years of probation, court records show.
The charges were filed on July 5, 2022, by Allegheny Valley Regional Police.
Mager’s name did not appear during an online search of the state Attorney General’s list of registered contractors.
In December 2015, Mager pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property filed by Frazer police. He was sentenced to three years of probation, court records show.
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
