Middletown Contractor Accused Of Not Completing Jobs

A contractor from Middletown Township was brought up on charges that he kept money after not completing jobs in the area.

Richard Dylan Gulick, 27, of the Levittown section of the township, owned R.D.G. Electrical and Construction and committed his alleged crimes ripping off customers between 2018 and 2020.

Gulick was arraigned Friday morning by on-call District Judge Corryn Kronnagel on charges of three counts of deceitful business practices, theft by deception, and receives advance payment for services and fails to perform. He was also charged with tampering with records and false statement to induce agreement for home improvement services.

The investigation began in November 2018 when two Middletown Township officers received allegations against Gulick and his company. In January 2019, the investigation was turned over to county investigators.

In court papers filed by Bucks County Detectives, they allege Gulick was hired by Middletown Township Constable Chuck Benhayon and his wife to complete a new roof and a second project. The first two jobs were completed in a “satisfactorily and in a timely manner.”

In 2018, the constable hired Gulick to complete a third contracting job installing a brand-name generator, gas lines for the generator, a poured concrete foundation for propane tanks and the generator, and a gas gun on the existing boiler. Gulick said he was licensed by the generator company as a dealer and installer. He provided a estimate for $7,817, according to court papers.

After putting a $4,000 deposit down, Gulick didn’t communicate for two weeks. Following several weeks, Gulick’s company installed the concrete foundation and the generator, authorities said.

Detectives noted that the residents “had reservations” about the quality of the work and hired another company to look at it. The company discovered the generator was a 9kw unit and not the agreed upon 22kw unit. Gulick was also discovered to not be a licensed dealer and installer after a check with the generator company, court papers stated.

Gulick reportedly told the constable that he couldn’t take him to court over the dispute and then took the 9kw generator and brought the 22kw one.

The constable had to hire two additional firms and pay thousands more to complete the projects and fix the shoddy work by Gulick, detectives said, adding Gulick did not obtain permits for the work.

A county detective interviewed two of Gulick’s former employees who were involved with the project. Both said Gulick removed the generator labels and misled the customer. One said the 9kw generator was on sale at a home improvement store and listed as “used,” authorities said.

A second Middletown Township family told detectives that they hired Gulick’s firm to attach a new garage, renovate a three-season room, install new siding, place new windows in the shed, put new windows on their home, and install a new front door. The total cost was estimated to be $78,222, according to court papers.

The couple claimed they were not provided with a contract with start and completion dates.

Gulick worked on the couple’s home “sporadically” until he abandoned the project in October 2018. The couple learned Gulick didn’t obtain all the needed permits from the township, detectives said.

In court papers, investigators said Gulick listed on a permit that the cost of the work as $14,000, while telling the couple the cost of the work was $29,600, which reduced the township permit fee by $179.

Gulick failed to complete a large portion of the rest of the work for which the couple believed he owned them $28,824 for uncompleted work and an additional $4,700 for money they paid other contractors to fix his “poor workmanship,” detectives said.

One of Gulick’s former employees said he tired to save money wherever he could while working on the home, like installing three-ply boards instead of four-ply wood, detectives said.

In a third incident, a Falls Township resident said she agreed in 2019 with Gulick to renovate her home’s kitchen, second-floor bedroom, two bathrooms, the living room, master bedroom, flooring throughout the home, new windows, a covered patio, new shutters, a “dog eared” fence, a fire pit with seating, install a shed roof, place new siding for the home, extend the driveway, add a concrete pad next to the driveway, and move all electrical lines going into the house for $57,000, detectives said, adding Gulick told the resident and her father that he was insured, bonded, and would get the permits.

The project was worked on until early 2020 and some of the work was found to be not up to the customer’s standard, detectives said.

Aside from a permit for the driveway extension, no other permits were obtained from the township, detectives said.

The resident reported that only a few of the projects Gulick worked on were completed to a level they were satisfied with, court papers said.

The resident told police about problems with the siding, including that it had to be done three separate times. The windows to the house were also reportedly too small.

A detective visited the residence in mid-March and found the “majority of the home” was in the demolition phase. While the resident can use her master bedroom, first-floor bathroom, and living room, the remainder of the home was left uninhabitable.

Detectives alleged that Gulcik’s company was not fully insured during some of the work.

When interviewed by a county detective with Gulick’s attorney present, the contractor said two of the couples who reported the problems owed him money and he provided receipts for some materials, which did not fully add up.

Gulick was released following arraignment on $25,000 unsecured.

If you are considering have work done, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Office operates a registered contractor search. The Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection is also available for help and with troubleshooting problems online or at 215-348-6060.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

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