Charges Mount Against Southington Man in Home Improvement Scam

Charges continue to mount against a Southington man charged with the theft of money from several local homeowners in an ongoing home improvement scam earlier this year.

Southington police last week took Bernard Wagner, of 413 W. Center St., into custody on one charge of third-degree larceny. He was later turned over to Bristol police, who booked him on the charge, and arraigned last week in Bristol Superior Court.

in connection with the theft of funds from two local residents who had hired him to conduct home improvements and provided initial payments but were unable to get in touch with him to have the work completed.

“Wagner took three payments each from two separate victims,” said Sgt. Lowell DePalma.

Wagner had met with women homeowners in June and presented himself as a licensed contractor willing to do work. In one case, DePalma said he was offering to install pillars in the front of a home along Ridgewood Road and in the second, he agreed to conduct sink and driveway repair.

In both cases, police said he took money from the victims in three separate payments then cut off conduct without ever completing the work. He never produced papers to prove he was a licensed or insured contractor and was not registered with the state, DePalma said.  

He is now facing charges in four separate cases after the latest arrest, court records show.