Community meetings

web1_TTL043016ranella.bdy_.jpg

Happy birthday to Olive Blodwyn and Violet Ranella!

<p>A Swoyersville contractor whose slippery dealings have resulted in ongoing criminal charges and a track record of civil suits and unpaid judgments has apparently gone out of business.</p><p>John Krochmaluk, 51, owner of Wyoming Valley Masonry and Wyoming Valley Landscaping, is no longer registered as a home-improvement contractor on the attorney general&#8217;s online database, and his company&#8217;s phone number has been disconnected.</p><p>Cries of &#8220;hallelujah&#8221; are likely coming from dozens of allegedly hoodwinked homeowners in Luzerne County, where Krochmaluk is facing charges of theft, passing bad checks and taking money upfront for work he failed to perform in three separate instances. He has also racked up a decade&#8217;s worth of civil suits and thousands of dollars in judgments he never paid, not to mention fraud, theft and bad-check charges that were dismissed when he ponied up in the courtroom just before trial.</p><p>I first got wind of Krochmaluk about a month ago when I received an email from Dyann Wasilewski, of Plains Township, who said she paid him $5,000 to repair a retaining wall at her mother&#8217;s house in Wilkes Barre.</p><p>Krochmaluk demolished the wall, hauled away the stone, excavated and jackhammered the sidewalk. He left Wasilewski with a muddy mess and a bucket truck, but never fixed her mother&#8217;s retaining wall, according to Wasilewski.</p><p>The attorney general&#8217;s office tried to put Krochmaluk out of business last year after hearing from 13 other customers who said they were victimized. The Bureau of Consumer Protection sued Krochmaluk and Wyoming Valley Masonry, citing unfair and deceptive practices and deliberate violations of consumer protection laws.</p><p>The BCP, which collected nearly $25 million in restitution for consumers in 2015, asked the judge for thousands in restitution for Krochmaluk&#8217;s customers, as well as monetary penalties and an injunction to stop him from performing home improvements in Pennsylvania.</p><p>Krochmaluk didn&#8217;t show up for court &#8211; for him, that&#8217;s business as usual. He recently spent a night in jail after getting hauled in on a warrant for failing to appear on the bad-check charge.</p><p>The attorney general won by default but didn&#8217;t get restitution or an injunction and is preparing for &#8220;further legal action,&#8221; said spokesperson Sadie Martin. &#8220;The law does not allow us to prosecute this case criminally at this time.&#8221;</p><p>That&#8217;s all right; Krochmaluk&#8217;s dance card is full. Although it seems he is finally out of business, the Luzerne County court docket will keep him very busy.</p><p>Speaking of which, I need you to keep me busy. If you&#8217;re having a problem with a product, business, or service, drop me a line at consumerwatchdog@www.timesleader.com or call me at 570-871-0495. I&#8217;m here to help.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Christine-Young-11.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Christine Young </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Christine-Young-11.jpg</photo0><caption0>Christine Young </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Christine Young at consumerwatchdog@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Consumer Watchdog: Customers rejoice in John Krochmaluk’s ‘out of business’ status