D.A.: Contractor defrauded homeowners

A Pennsylvania man was arrested on Feb. 24 after Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said he stole thousands of dollars from homeowners for air conditioning repairs that never took place.

Charles Ganzenmuller, 38, of Lords Valley, was charged with two counts of grand larceny in the third degree, one count of grand larceny in the fourth degree, one count to scheme to defraud in the first degree — all felonies — and two counts of operating a home improvement business without a license, a misdemeanor. If convicted of the top charge, Ganzenmuller faces a maximum of seven years in prison, and is due back in court on Feb. 27.

According to Rice, Ganzenmuller solicited and entered into home improvement contracts with residents between Jan. 4 and May 25 of 2012. He claimed he owned two companies named Assured Air Conditioning and Alliance Air Conditioning.

On May 18, 2012, Ganzenmuller, doing business as Assured Air Conditioning, allegedly entered into a contract with an East Meadow couple. Ganzenmuller was paid $7,800 as a down payment to provide interior and exterior air conditioning units, among other work. Ganzenmuller cashed the check, said Rice, laid some ductwork in the home, but did not provide any of the air conditioning units he had been paid for.

Ganzenmuller also allegedly defrauded a Massapequa Park homeowner and East Rockaway homeowner during that time period. According to the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs, neither Ganzenmuller nor his companies had a valid home improvement license at the time he entered into the contracts. Each victim filed a complaint to the DCA, which referred the cases to Rice’s office for further investigation.

Ganzenmuller is represented by Legal Aid Society, which does not comment on cases.