A home improvement contractor last week turned himself in to New Canaan Police following a state investigation into a shoddy chimney job.
A special investigator with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection received a complaint in 2023 from a Bayberry Road woman regarding Shamrock C&C Inc., which had agreed to do chimney work there for $2,100, according to documents obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request.
A man who identified himself as David Mariano began the work in June 2023 and received payment on behalf of the company via American Express, according to an arrest warrant application filed by DCP Special Investigator Brian Ferguson.
He “removed the old cap from both of her chimneys, applied cement and then installed a metal cap,” according to Ferguson’s affidavit.
It continued: “A few days later, during inclement weather, she [the victim] noticed that her chimneys were leaking water inside her home. A week later, she contacted Shamrock C&C Inc., who sent Mr. Mariano back to her home to rectify the situation. Mr. Mariano removed some of the cement and replaced the metal caps. Despite this, [the victim] stated that her chimneys continued to leak water.”
She emailed the company again “requesting her issues be addressed,” but nobody replied to her, the affidavit said.
Months later, in 2024, the woman received a new contractor proposal, from Chimbos Services, and had the chimneys fixed for $3,900, the affidavit said.
Ferguson examined e-licensing records for Shamrock C&C Inc., and discovered that the company’s registration had expired, and that no home improvement salesperson credential was held by a David Mariano. The only member listed in the company’s filing was Carmelo Franco. Ferguson found that Franco held a home improvement contractor registration for a different company, Northeast Contracting LLC, which had never been made active by the Connecticut Secretary of the State.
“Carmelo Franco answered NO to the following question on his HIC application: Has the applicant or any of the partners, corporate officers or members ever been convicted of a felony crime or a criminal violation of the CT Home Improvement Act,” Ferguson wrote in the affidavit. “Carmelo Franco was convicted of a felony on 8/30/10.”
He added: “Carmelo Franco allowed a person not registered as a home improvement salesman to act on his behalf.”
Franco, a Manorville, N.Y. resident, was charged by warrant with violation of home improvement contractor requirements, a misdemeanor offense. Judge Alex Hernandez signed the arrest warrant in June 2024.
He turned himself in to New Canaan Police at 8:53 p.m. on Oct. 21.
Police released Franco on $50,000 bond and scheduled him to appear Nov. 3 in state Superior Court.
Great reporting. I didn’t know that unlicensed contractors could be charged with a misdemeanor offense. I usually ask contractors for their license and insurance and hope that all the homeowners here do the same. Also, note that many NY contractors operate in New Canaan but not all have CT licenses. Your arbitration options are very limited if you use an out-of-state contractor.
This is a well known scam and the local police are skilled in citing chimney contractors like this.