A man who took money to do contracting work at a Tamaqua residence never made good on his offer, Tamaqua police said.

As a result, Tamaqua police are charging John Shala, 48, of Tamaqua, with receiving advanced payment for services failed to perform, theft by deception/false impression and receiving stolen property.

Police were contacted May 22 by a Tamaqua man who said that Shala had done work for a friend. The victim contacted Shala and the two discussed putting a new roof on his porch. Shala said it would cost $4,500 and the victim gave him $4,000 on May 11 to purchase materials from Home Depot.

The victim told police that Shala never came back to do the work and was not returning phone calls. Police said the victim contacted Home Depot to see if the materials were purchased and was told that they had not.

Police also found that Shala is not a registered contractor in Pennsylvania, which is required under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.