A 26-year-old East Rockaway man who claimed to be a contractor has been charged with scamming elderly clients out of nearly $200,000, prosecutors said.
Authorities say Robert Cohan allegedly offered to repair a 73-year-old Woodmere woman's driveway for $78,600, had her give him the money up front and told her he'd be able to get her a state rebate that would net her a brand new driveway and a $10,000 profit. The woman paid Cohan for the driveway work over a six-month period in July 2012, and hired Cohan for odd painting and repair jobs around the house.
Authorities say Robert Cohan allegedly offered to repair a 73-year-old Woodmere woman's driveway for $78,600, had her give him the money up front and told her he'd be able to get her a state rebate that would net her a brand new driveway and a $10,000 profit. The woman paid Cohan for the driveway work over a six-month period in July 2012, and hired Cohan for odd painting and repair jobs around the house.
Cohan did the repair work around the house, prosecutors say, but he never worked on the driveway and made excuses about the rebate when asked repeatedly by the woman. She eventually involved an attorney, to whom Cohan allegedly continued to promise rebate checks that never arrived, and the attorney helped her file a complaint with the district attorney's office.
Prosecutors say Cohan was arrested by Nassau County police on June 1 in connection with a similar, previous scheme that allegedly swindled two elderly brothers in the area out of more than $100,000.
“This defendant thought these senior citizens would be easy marks, but he did not count on the strength and tenacity of his victims,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement.
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Cohan is scheduled to be arraigned later Tuesday. His attorney declined to comment on the case.
