Bench warrant issued for general contractor following Troubleshooters' warning

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There is a bench warrant out for a general contractor who the Action News Troubleshooters have been warning viewers about for years.

Juan Rodriguez's criminal trial was scheduled to start Tuesday, but he failed to appear.

Rodriguez is accused of defrauding people out of more than $400,000. He's charged with home improvement fraud, deceptive business practices and theft. The Troubleshooters first reported on Rodriguez in 2017, after multiple people complained that he took their money without finishing the job.

"Justice late is still justice. These victims have waited seven years to hold Mr. Rodriguez accountable. We're going to do everything in our power to do that. So if you're out there Mr. Rodriguez, turn yourself in," said Anthony Gil, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney.

One of those victims is Dale Schmid of South Philadelphia, who has since won a civil judgment against Rodriguez for more than $130,000.

"It doesn't seem like there's any end in sight you know and our chance of recovering. So there it's just, it's just a loss," Schmid said

In 2021, Rodriguez sat down with our own Nydia Han to talk about the allegations against him. At the time for Schmid's project, he said the price for materials skyrocketed due to the pandemic.

We reached out to Mr. Rodriguez's attorney on Tuesday who said he had no comment.