Police say he has made a career of ripping off people and managed to stay one step ahead of the law until now.
"He's a guy ripping people off for the couple of bucks extra they have in their pocket. He feels it's his money, not theirs. I guess we got the last laugh this time," said Director of Public Safety Frederick Harran.
Police have charged him in 19 cases in all five counties. They say Matthews mostly preyed on senior citizens, skipping out on almost $70,000 worth of promised work.
"The bigger jobs he would take some money, come back, do a little demolition, so you think he's doing some work. He'd come back again, scam them for a couple of more dollars, I guess for supplies, then he'd never show up again," Harran said.
Police say Matthews told his victims to take him to court, but no one ever collected, even after winning court judgements.
But now, Matthews is charged in criminal court, and is being held on $850,000 bail.
As word gets out, police are hearing from more and more victims. They expect there are many more out there.
Bensalem police are handling all cases from the five county area. If you've been victimized, you can call police at 215-633-3668.
