Allegheny Township police latest to accuse contractor of taking money for work he didn't do

A home remodeling contractor from Pitcairn who was charged five times in as many years with taking money for work he didn’t do has been accused of committing the same crime in Allegheny Township.

Daniel Ronald Amodeo, 54, of the 600 block of Wall Avenue was charged Jan. 25 with felony counts of conducting deceitful business practices and taking payments for work that was not done.

He was taken into custody Nov. 14 and was being detained in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of a $500 bond, which is $10% of the amount set at his arraignment.

He is awaiting a preliminary hearing Nov. 28 before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec.

Allegheny Township police wrote in a criminal complaint that in August 2022 a resident reported that he paid Amodeo $3,350 to build a retaining wall on his property, which was half the cost of the $6,700 project.

The man provided police with a series of unanswered text messages he sent to Amodeo asking when he planned to start work, the complaint said.

The property owner also gave police copies of the canceled checks he got back from his bank showing that Amodeo signed the back when it was cashed, police said.

According to court records:

• Amodeo is awaiting trial in Westmoreland County Court on misdemeanor counts of deceitful business practices and theft by deception filed by Murrysville police in August 2019.

• Amodeo also is awaiting trial in Westmoreland County on a felony count of receiving advanced payment and a count of theft by deception filed by Latrobe police in June 2019, court records show.

• In May 2022, North Huntingdon police charged Amodeo with deceitful business practices and two counts of theft, which are all felonies. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 22 before District Judge Henry Lee Moore, court records show.

• In July 2022, police in Baldwin Township charged Amodeo with misdemeanor counts of theft and deceptive business practices. A hearing has not yet been scheduled, court records show.

• In October 2022, Pittsburgh police charged Amodeo with felony counts of theft and making false statements to get a remodeling contract.

Amodeo’s name did not come up in a search of the state Attorney General’s contractor registration website. The law requires contractors who do more than $5,000 worth of work a year to register with the state.