'Deplorable': Nassau County Couple Duped In $129K Roofing Scam: DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Queens construction company owner was arraigned on charges connected to scamming an elderly Franklin Square couple out of $129,000 through a roofing repair scheme, prosecutors said.

Clifford Whitaker, 43, was arraigned on Thursday on charges of second-degree insurance fraud, second-degree attempted grand larceny, second-degree scheme to defraud and third-degree forgery, Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly announced.

Whitaker pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $50,000 cash, $125,000 bond and $250,000 partially secured bond. He was ordered to surrender his passport, the DA said.

“This defendant allegedly took advantage of a trusting elderly couple, telling them their roof needed repairs and continuing to visit their home, piling on additional construction, and increasing the price of the work more than 5000% over the course of five days,” Donnelly said. “Whitaker also allegedly forged an insurance claim approval he provided to the couple and told them to pay him $129,000 upfront to later be reimbursed by their insurance company."

According to the charges and investigation, on March 8, Whitaker, president of New Dawn Construction, solicited an 80-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife at their residence in Franklin Square claiming that he noticed several shingles of their roof needed repair, Donnelly said.

After inspecting the roof, he allegedly told the couple that there was damage to the roof and the cost to repair it would be about $2,500, she added.

Whitaker and another person reportedly returned to the home several times, claiming additional damage, and increasing the price for repairs up to $129,000, prosecutors said.

The investigation determined that a legitimate insurance claim was never filed with Liberty Mutual, and that the insurance document was fraudulent. Donnelly said.

Whitaker was represented at the arraignment by the Legal Aid Society.

"I have seen so many cases in my decades as a prosecutor of scam artists preying on our seniors and duping them out of their life savings. It is deplorable," Donnelly said.

Whitaker is due back in court on Monday. If convicted, he faces up to 2-1/3 to 7 years in prison.