FALMOUTH, Maine — Police arrested a man they say is a career criminal in Falmouth on Wednesday.
Falmouth police say Richard Myers has a criminal record in Massachusetts for ripping off homeowners going back to 2006. Myers was ordered to pay more than $700,000 by a judge in Massachusetts for scamming people as a home contractor.
On Wednesday, police in Falmouth arrested Myers for allegedly ripping off homeowners in Maine over the last several years. The state attorney general has been investigating Myers for home repair fraud, and last year, the AG put out an official warning about him.
Officials say recently Myers has been using the business name Beacon Light Chimneys, but he’s also worked under the name Atlantic Restoration Company. Investigators say he takes people’s money for work like chimney sweeping, but then never shows up to finish the job.
Falmouth police say, thanks to some undercover work, they busted Myers at a bar Thursday. Now, police are trying to figure out just how many people here might have been scammed.
“Within Cumberland County right now, we’re looking at just over two dozen cases,” said Lt. John Kilbride with Falmouth Police Department. “(There is) just one case in Falmouth, but this is the tip of the iceberg.”
Police say anyone who believes they were taken advantage of by Myers is urged to call police or the Attorney General’s consumer protection division.