Cops: Lindenhurst family arrested in home improvement scam

Three members of a Lindenhurst family suspected of a series of home improvement scams around the country -- costing homeowners an estimated $1 million -- have been arrested in Westchester County, police said Friday.

Police in Harrison said Anthony Delmaro, 41, told them he and his family did a lot of traveling.

He was charged with grand larceny after he took $5,000 from a Harrison resident on Oct. 21 for home improvement work that was never completed, police said.

Delmaro's wife, Ruby Stevenson, 34, was charged with conspiracy, and his son, Geno Delmaro, 21, was charged with larceny, police said.

Anthony Delmaro and his family would send out mass faxes under corporate names such as Strong Island, Island-Tec Roofing and Ace Roofing. Once hired, they'd collect payments without either performing the work or finishing it, according to police.

"The investigation revealed that Mr. Delmaro had been traveling the country for close to 10 years from Texas to New York, performing the same scam in each state he passed through," Harrison police said in a statement.

Delmaro used numerous aliases, addresses and cellphones to elude authorities, police said.

The Suffolk County Police Department said it has four active arrest warrants for Delmaro -- two of them stemming from home-improvement fraud investigations.

Delmaro was among 42 people arrested in Nassau in July 2009 during an investigation into unlicensed contractors. The outcome of that case was not known Friday.

A search warrant was executed earlier this week at the family's River Street rental home in Lindenhurst and on several family vehicles, including two vehicles registered in Texas, police said.

The elder Delmaro, also known as Nick Delmaro, was being held without bail at the Westchester County jail. He was arrested on a warrant issued after he failed to appear in court on 2009 grand larceny charges, according to Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the Westchester district attorney's office.

Delmaro's wife posted $10,000 bail and was released earlier this week, Chalfen said. Geno Delmaro was being held on $10,000 bail.