HARRISBURG – Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Montgomery County man was sentenced to three to six years in state prison, plus two years of probation, for failure to complete home improvement work for victims who lost a total of more than $156,000. Jared Wyllie, 48, was ordered to pay that money back as restitution to the victims as part of a sentence handed down by a Montgomery County judge.
The investigation uncovered that, between 2021 and 2022, Wyllie — doing business as PROjex, LLC — entered into contracts with four separate homeowners, taking payments up front while providing another contractor’s license information.
Several of the victims testified in court before Wyllie was sentenced, including one homeowner who paid more than $100,000 for repairs that were not done, and eventually had to sell their home at a loss due to Wyllie’s failure to complete work.
”A person’s home is their castle, and in this case, the defendant created misery and financial ruin for several individuals who trusted him with their homes,” Attorney General Sunday said. “My office frequently investigates home improvement contractors who take payments but fail to complete jobs. I encourage consumers to do their research before signing contracts or making payments.”
Wyllie did business as PROjex, LLC and alleged to have been a licensed and registered home improvement contractor. In reality, Wyllie had no contractor number registered under his own name or business, and he had no permission to use the other contractors’ information.
The first victims to come forward reported subpar contractor repairs after Wyllie left them with a loss of more than $16,400 and an unfinished room in their residence.
Another victim contracted with Wyllie to repair and replace their roof, as well as some water damage caused by the roof issues. This victim signed a contract with PROjex, LLC, in January 2022 for a total cost of $27,900.10. Wyllie began repairing walls in this home and after this work began, it was sub-par and had to be replaced and repainted several times. This victim paid Wyllie another $4,240 allegedly for supplies for the roof repair. However, the only thing Wyllie did for the roof was to put a cheap plastic tarp over the roof.
Another victim paid more than $39,000 at the start of a contract, and while some materials were delivered and work had begun, it was never completed.
Wyllie’s final victim entered into a contract with him, initially, for more than $39,300 for demolition and remodeling work. The homeowner paid additional costs for labor and materials, for a total paid to Wyllie of $108,747 for the home improvement project. Wyllie ultimately did not complete the work as contracted and the owner was forced to sell her home at a loss since she could not afford to have the renovations completed after Wyllie’s failure to deliver.
The Office of Attorney General also reminds Pennsylvania homeowners who are considering a remodeling or home improvement project to review the following tips to ensure the contractor selected is trustworthy:
- Do your research
- Check references
- Be wary of high pressure tactics
- Get more than one estimate
- Get a written contract
- Check your contract for the right to cancel date and project start and completion dates
- Review the entire project with your contractor
- Don’t sign a completion certificate until all work called for in the contract is done to your satisfaction
- Ensure your contractor is registered with the Office of Attorney General – visit the Bureau of Consumer Protection’s Contractor Registration website or call 1-888-520-6680
- For more information on Home Improvement contractor requirements in Pennsylvania visit the Office of Attorney General’s website.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Thomas Ost-Prisco.
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