Dozens claim Bethlehem landscaping contractor bilked them of thousands
A Bethlehem landscaping contractor accused last month of bilking 11 customers has been charged with defrauding nearly two dozen more consumers, authorities said.
David J. Grant owner of Lehigh Valley Curb Appeal Landscaping, was arraigned Friday by District Judge Nicholas E. Englesson and sent to Northampton County Prison on $20,000 bail for numerous felony counts including theft, theft of services, receiving stolen property and receiving advance payment but failing to perform services.
Grant, 39, of the 1100 block of North New Street, primarily promoted his business via the social media app Nextdoor, according to court papers filed by Bethlehem police. In many cases, consumers paid Grant up front, but the contractor failed to perform the work, police said.
Some 23 customers were victimized by Grant, police said, with losses ranging from $200 to $4,500. In a separate case, a Bethlehem resident gave Grant a personal loan of $54,000 with an agreement that the money be paid back in monthly installments, police said. Grant gave the resident three checks totaling $9,900, police said, but the checks were voided because Grant’s checking account was closed.
Another consumer from Freemansburg agreed to allow Grant to dump dirt and various landscaping byproducts on his property for $45 per trailer load, police said. Grant stopped paying the resident in March and owes about $650, police said.
Several transactions between Grant and consumers occurred via electronic-purchase accounts of Grant’s, police said. In conducting a search warrant of Grant’s accounts, such as PayPal, police said they found Grant engaged in 1,121 gambling transactions using such accounts totaling nearly $107,000.
Bethlehem police first charged Grant, last month with bilking the 11 consumers $13,750. Police began their probe in early June when two city victims told investigators they paid Grant an initial 50% deposit of $1,750 for work to be done April 25. Grant told the consumers he wasn’t going to do the work and no refunds were made, police said.
After arraignment on the earlier counts, Grant was released on $50,000 bail, court records show. It was not clear Saturday if the charges would be consolidated. The earlier crimes took place in Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township and Lower Nazareth Township, police said, while the more recent incidents also happened in other communities, including Lower Saucon and Upper Nazareth townships.
Court papers don’t list an attorney for Grant and a telephone listing for the business said calls are not being accepted.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Bethlehem Detective Daniel Kennedy at 610-997-7682. Police from multiple Northampton County departments investigated, along with the Lehigh and Northampton district attorneys offices.