Jailed Thief Sued In Chester County For $2M In Playground Equipment

WEST CHESTER, PA —Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit in the Chester County Justice Center Thursday accusing the former owner of a playground supply company of failing to deliver $1.8 million of playground equipment to eight homeowner associations.

Shapiro asked the court to issue a permanent injunction to prevent William C. Huyler III from operating the playground equipment businesses, Huntsman Farms LLC, and Willow Creative Group LLC, both in Kennett Square.

He also asked the court to order Huyler to pay $1.8 million in restitution to the homeowners associations.

Huyler, 43, East Marlborough Township, meanwhile, is in the state Correctional Institution at Waymart, Wayne County, serving a 3 to 10-year sentence imposed by Judge Anne Marie Wheatcraft in May 2021.

Huyler pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $2 million from the homeowners in a “pyramid scheme” that involved moving money from different bank accounts to hide withdrawals.

Subsequently, Shapiro filed the civil lawsuit under a Consumer Protection Law.

The eight homeowners associations are in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

According to the lawsuit, the defendant’s company delivered incomplete playsets, did shoddy work, and failed to provide refunds.

Shapiro said consumers who purchased playground equipment through Huyler were left hanging.

“Parents and grandparents spent thousands of dollars on equipment for the children in their lives to enjoy outdoor fun and wound up with no equipment, no explanation, and no refund,” the attorney general said.

Consumers who feel they were victimized by Huyler, Huntsman Farms, or Willowdale Creative, should file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection online, reach out via phone at 1-800-441-2555, or email scams@attorneygeneral.gov.