Crime & Safety

Trio Faces Charges in Reported Chimney Cleaning Scam

Greenwich Police say a trio of men preyed on an elderly man who paid hundreds of dollars to have his chimney cleaned.


A trio of men soliciting work to clean chimneys did nothing more than clean out an elderly Greenwich man's wallet in an apparent chimney cleaning scam.

According to a Greenwich Police report, the trio was arrested Monday morning after the victim called police to report a "possible fraud type scam" in which the men entered the home and "agreed to perform chimney-related cleaning and repairs." The resident of Richland Road in the Byram neighborhood of town, paid the men $450 "for work or services that were not completed," according to the report.

The men, all from Ronkonkoma, NY, were found a short time later on Milbank Avenue in central Greenwich, and identified by the victim, who was described by police as an elderly man.

The suspects were identified as:

  • John P. Andrews, 57, of 10 Fifth St.
  • Johnathan M. Soroush, 24, of 17 Fifth St.
  • Lewis A. Tacktill, 33, of 10 Fifth St. 
All of the men faces charges of illegal use of a fictitious trade name, violation of the Home Solicitation Sale Act, second-degree larceny and conspiracy. Bond for each was set at $1,000 and they are scheduled to appear April 14 in state Superior Court in Stamford.



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