Alleged construction scheme ruins Beverly senior’s home
Contractor Jamie Ford was late to his first meeting with Gloria Lilja, an 82-year-old who was looking to add a second floor to the home she owned for more than 50 years. To make up for his tardiness, Ford brought lobster and beer to the meeting, and was soon calling Lilja “Nonni.”
The pleasantries didn’t last. Lilja would learn too late that Ford was a con man who lied about his qualifications to land contracting jobs, as detailed in an article in The Boston Globe. Last summer, Ford was charged with nearly 80 counts of larceny, fraud, and money laundering.
“All the construction and services he was supposed to provide, he didn’t,” a Beverly police detective, Darlene Prinz, who investigated, told the Globe.
Ford pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is out on bail awaiting trial. His lawyer, Carmine Lepore, said the accusations are exaggerated, and is seeking to have the charges dismissed.
But prosecutors said Ford forged Lilja’s signature on building permit applications and didn’t apply for a permit to build the addition.The house is now gutted, and Lilja is struggling to pay $3,000 a month to rent an apartment and pay the loan on the boarded-up house.
“I don’t want to let go of my house,” Lilja said. “It’s like holding on to someone who’s drowning. I can’t let go.”
Read the full story at The Globe.
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