Report: Patchogue Man Arrested Again for Scamming Elderly in Queens

A Patchogue man and his brother have been arrested and charged by the Queens district attorney for overcharging elderly residents for chimney repair work that was either not done or unfinished, WCBS 880 reported, citing police.

Michael Cristiano of Patchogue and Bruce Wimmer of Holbrook dropped off a check at the district attorney's office last week to make restitution for a similar crime when they were were arrested just hours later in Flushing in the driveway of a 90-year-old woman whom they had cheated out of $24,185, District Attorney Richard Brown told WCBS 880.

“The defendants were given the opportunity to plead guilty and make full restitution in order to spare their elderly victims the stress and ordeal of testifying at trial," Brown said in a statement. "However, it appears that the defendants did not learn from their earlier encounter with the criminal justice system."

In July, Patch reported that Brown charged the two men under New York State’s Hate Crime Law with stealing more than $30,000 from three elderly Queens homeowners for chimney and roof work that was never done.

Read the original report from WCBS-880 here.