Seaford man arrested on multiple counts of home improvement fraud

SEAFORD, Del. – Delaware State Police have arrested a Seaford man on multiple counts of Home Improvement Fraud and related charges.

The investigation began in September when Troopers took a report of a home improvement fraud. While at the Lowes in Seaford, the victim, a 72-year-old female, met a man who indicated that he was a contractor.

The victim made an agreement with the man, identified as 53-year-old William R. Parlier, to conduct home improvements. Over the course of about two months, the victim had provided Parlier with several checks amounting to over $6,000, that she thought was going towards future labor and materials. Parlier never completed any of the home improvements that were agreed upon.

Troopers took a second report of a home improvement fraud regarding Parlier on Thursday. In this case, the 57-year-old male victim had also provided Parlier with multiple checks over the course of several months amounting to over $6,000 for home improvements that were never completed.

Troopers located Parlier in the Cool Branch development doing construction on a residence on Saturday. Parlier was taken into custody without incident and transported back to Troop 5 where he was charged with the following:

Crime against a vulnerable adult, two counts of home improvement fraud by false pretense, two counts of theft by false pretense $1500, two counts of engaging in contract business without obtaining/maintaining a license, and two counts of carrying on occupations without license.

Parlier was arraigned before the Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $12,200 cash only bond.