Paving Company that Targeted Elderly Shut Down, Ordered to Pay Back 12 Victims

A paving company owned by an East Providence man has been shut down and ordered to pay some $32,000 in restitution to 12 customers who complained of shoddy work, price gouging and elder abuse.

MTY Paving was deemed a fraudulent paving contractor by the state and its license with the Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board was revoked this year after a string of complaints from primarily elderly residents who said they were stuck with huge bills for poor work.

The company did work across the state. The numerous complaints about MTY even prompted one police department to take to social media and warn residents.

In several complaints filed with the board, residents said they felt targeted because of their age and were promised much lower prices initially when approached by Mark Young, owner of MTY Paving, and his associate Jason Perry.

In a statement, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said that homeowners deserve credit for recognizing they had been duped and “did the right thing by contacting the CRLB and my office to file the formal complaint.”

In an agreement, MTY will pay back $32,450 to 12 customers. Complaints were filed in July alleging improper work, breach of contract, elder abuse and price gouging.

The AG asked for a Superior Court injunction ordering MTY pay up or “otherwise resolve the matters,” Kilmartin said. After the injunction, CRLB staff worked with MTY’s lawyers to resolve matters.

“As proven in this case, working as a team enables us to accomplish much more for homeowners. We hope to continue our efforts together to protect the consumers in our great state,” said George Whalen, director of the board

State records show MTY paving had similar problems with five complaints for negligent work or contract disputes since 2010.

According to reports, Young and Perry continued to knock on doors to solicit customers even after their registration had been revoked by the board until they were summoned to court after the attorney general filed the temporary restraining order.

Young and Perry are allowed to work as contractors as long as it’s for a company that has an active license and is insured.