A Lehighton man is facing charges after receiving $7,000 for construction work he didn’t complete in Jim Thorpe, police say.

Jim Thorpe police charged Travis Jeffrey Stroup, 53, with theft by deception and receiving stolen property for work Stroup was contracted to perform in 2021.

Police say that Ny Wenk and Richard Hodgson paid Stroup $7,000 in December 2021 to build a powder room at their property in Jim Thorpe. Wenk and Hodgson told police Stroup took down some drywall but had not finished the job. They said their attempts to get the money back from Stroup were unsuccessful.

Police say Stroup failed to respond to an officer’s interview request.

The affidavit of probable cause says the charges filed against Stroup escalate to felony 1 status because the victims are over 60 years of age. The affidavit also notes that Stroup and his business, Stroup Construction, are not registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s registry.