Northeast roofers face
multiple fraud charges

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

A Northeast roofing company is under investigation for allegedly defrauding residents around the city, including senior citizens.
Twin brothers Gary and Mark Trager, 51, who operate Santini Contractors, have been charged with multiple counts of deceptive business practices, theft and related charges.
Police believe the pair, of Dewees Street near Welsh Road, took deposits from more than a dozen residents in the Philadelphia area but never finished the repair work they had promised.
Police arrested the Tragers on Feb. 6. The brothers
posted bail the following day, according to court documents.
The police department’s South Detectives Division is handling the case, because the victim whose complaint sparked the investigation, which started in October, lives in the South Philadelphia area. Investigators then made connections to other cases.
"What brought it to light was in Darby Township they had a couple of earlier complaints," said Detective John Landis.
Some victims had filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau as far back as 2000. Most victims claim to have given Santini Contractors deposits ranging from $800 to $1,600, Landis said.
Since the case was first brought to light, calls have been pouring in to South Detectives.
"We get calls daily," Landis said.
Landis said that the Trager brothers may have eluded police investigation before now because their alleged victims never followed through with complaints.
"They just gave up," he said of the customers.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Notaristefano would not comment on whether additional charges would be filed against the Tragers. The state Attorney General’s Office also has reported complaints involving the contractors, he said.
A preliminary hearing for the Tragers is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 9, in Room 1003 of the Criminal Justice Center in Center City.
Anyone else with information about Santini Contractors is asked to call South Detectives at 215-686-3013 or 3014, or Dawn Dixon Carr, victim/witness coordinator for the DA’s office, at 215-686-5885. ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com