Lower Burrell police accused a waterproofing contractor of taking more than $3,000 upfront from a woman last year for work he never did and then telling her that he was out of business when she asked for a refund.

Jason Sims, 49, of the 300 block Murrysville Road in Penn Township was charged Tuesday with two felony counts of engaging in deceitful business practices along with a count of theft.

Sims was charged by summons and ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec on Oct. 17.

According to a criminal complaint, a woman showed police Aug. 21 a contract she signed with Sims’ company, Foundation Station Inc., in April 2022 for waterproofing work at her home along Reed Street.

The woman told police the contract was for $9,990 for Sims’ company to install six steel piers designed to stabilize her home’s foundation. She paid him $3,300 upfront, the complaint said.

The check was deposited and cashed by Sims, police said.

On June 5, the woman’s son sent a text message to Sims’ wife, who serves as the company’s bookkeeper, asking for a refund, according to the complaint.

On June 30, the woman’s son got a response from Sims’ wife telling him that the company was going out of business and filing for bankruptcy, the complaint said.

Foundation Nation is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which lists an alert on its website because the company is out of business.

The business rating agency lists the company’s address in the 1100 block of Gaskill Avenue in Jeannette.

Foundation Nation did not come up in a search of the state attorney general’s contractor registration database. The law requires contractors who do more than $5,000 worth of work a year to register with the state.

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