Officials: Warner man posed as asbestos removal expert

Jun. 18—A Warner man has pleaded guilty to theft-related charges for pretending to be an asbestos abatement expert and charging customers for fraudulent testing.

Jordan M. Dunne, 28, was sentenced in Sullivan County Superior Court to 12 months in jail, with all but 30 days suspended for three years. He pleaded guilty to felony attempted theft by deception, felony theft by deception, and misdemeanor unfair and deceptive business practices, according to the Attorney General's Office, which prosecuted the case.

Investigators said that Dunne attempted to obtain more than $1,000 from a Lebanon business owner in 2020, by falsely representing that he was a licensed asbestos abatement professional, and that samples were sent to a lab and had tested positive for asbestos.

Officials said he also obtained more than $1,000 from a homeowner in Claremont through a similar scheme in 2022.

In addition to the jail sentence, Dunne was ordered to pay restitution to the victims, and to complete two years of probation. He also is barred from engaging in asbestos abatement activities during the three-year suspended term.

The case was investigated by the state Department of Environmental Services and by the Department of Justice's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau.