{'byline': 'by Jim Melwert', 'hosts': '', 'byline_sources': 'KYW Newsradio', 'audience_id': '', 'original_station': [{'station': 'kywnewsradio', 'path': 'kywnewsradio/news/local/1st-call-electric-collegeville-72-counts-deceptive-business-practice'}], 'syndicated_items': '', 'original_item': {'_index': 'published-content_v44', '_type': '_doc', '_score': None, '_source': {'date': '2025-01-14T00:06:35.925Z', 'lead': [{'data': {'alt': 'Joseph Ford ', 'url': 'https://images.radio.com/aiu-media/1d4f92d587ad44e0891be691974776fe-c52cd1f5-9dab-4f56-93b8-9141d8492f5e.jpg', 'width': 634, 'credit': "Montgomery County District Attorney's Office", 'height': 357, 'caption': 'Joseph Ford of Collegeville has pleaded guilty plea to 72 felony counts of deceptive business practices for taking deposits from customers without fulfilling their purchases or doing the work.', '_version': 1, 'imageLink': None, 'rendition': None, 'sizeInBytes': '18274', 'borderToggle': None, 'componentVariation': 'image'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/image/instances/cm5vmws3z000v357ppyldwya8@published'}], 'slug': '1st-call-electric-collegeville-72-counts-deceptive-business-practice', 'tags': ['Fraud', 'Business', 'Montgomery County', 'Crime'], 'feeds': {'msn': True, 'rss': True, 'postup': True, 'facebook': True, 'newsfeed': True, 'sitemaps': True, 'frequency': True, 'smartNews': True, 'apple-news': False, 'smart-news': True, 'most-popular': True, 'reversechron': True, 'google-news-feed': True}, 'hosts': [], 'adTags': {'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/ad-tags/instances/cm5vmvul4000a01tn31v9e9u9@published'}, 'byline': [{'names': [{'name': 'Jim Melwert', 'text': 'Jim Melwert', 'slug': 'jim-melwert'}], 'sources': [{'text': 'KYW Newsradio'}], 'hosts': [], 'prefix': 'by'}], 'teaser': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'authors': ['Jim Melwert'], 'content': [{'data': {'text': '<em>NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio)</em> — A Montgomery County man pleads guilty to <a href="https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/collegeville-man-charged-fraud-homeowners-electric">ripping off dozens of customers for about half a million dollars</a>, admitting that he took deposits to install home generators and electrical supplies, but then never did the work.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm5vmvul4000e01tnfa6e5xjn@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&amp;feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7147029_2025-01-13-205029&amp;withPlaylist=false&amp;theme=dark&amp;playerDisplay-download=false&amp;playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy"></iframe>', 'isIframe': True, 'componentVariation': 'html-embed', 'fbInstantArticleHtml': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&amp;feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7147029_2025-01-13-205029&amp;withPlaylist=false&amp;theme=dark&amp;playerDisplay-download=false&amp;playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy"></iframe>'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/html-embed/instances/cm5vmxy7m0016357p4spyqfr6@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Joseph Ford, 55, of Collegeville entered a guilty plea to 72 felony counts of deceptive business practices.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm5vmwho4000i357puuqs30v0@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'According to prosecutors, Ford owned 1st Call Electric on Ridge Pike in Collegeville, and between December 2020 and October 2022, Ford took deposits from 72 customers across Southeastern Pennsylvania for home generators, electrical panels and other work but then never supplied the generators or did the work.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm5vmwhpq000j357p4xpo4z7t@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Most of the deposits Ford admitted to pocketing were $7,500 each, but some topped $12,000. In all, prosecutors say the money Ford took is around $500,000.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm5vpydz5000c357pgojtkakc@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Ford entered an “open plea,” which means his sentence will be up to the judge. Of the 72 victims, 32 were over the age of 60, which upgrades those counts to a second-degree felony. Based on sentencing guidelines, Ford faces more than 90 years in prison, though prosecutors are waiting to see how much he is able to pay back before saying what prison term they plan to seek.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm5vmwi5z000k357peu4zstou@published'}], 'feedImg': {'data': {'alt': 'Joseph Ford ', 'url': 'https://images.radio.com/aiu-media/1d4f92d587ad44e0891be691974776fe-c52cd1f5-9dab-4f56-93b8-9141d8492f5e.jpg', 'width': 634, 'credit': "Montgomery County District Attorney's Office", 'height': 357, 'caption': 'Joseph Ford of Collegeville has pleaded guilty plea to 72 felony counts of deceptive business practices for taking deposits from customers without fulfilling their purchases or doing the work.', '_version': 1, 'mimeType': 'image/jpeg', 'imageLink': None, 'rendition': None, 'sizeInBytes': '18274', 'borderToggle': None, 'componentVariation': 'image'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/feed-image/instances/cm5vmvul4000b01tn8fj1wnq0@published'}, 'sources': [{'text': 'KYW Newsradio'}], '_version': 24, 'featured': False, 'headline': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'msnTitle': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'slugLock': True, 'textTags': ['Fraud', 'Business', 'Montgomery County', 'Crime'], '_msnTitle': {'shouldOverride': False}, 'apContent': None, 'isOpinion': False, 'pageTitle': 'Montco man pleads guilty to defrauding 72 customers', 'sideShare': {'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/share/instances/cm5vmvul4000c01tn0qsiwbwd@published'}, 'feedImgUrl': 'https://images.radio.com/aiu-media/1d4f92d587ad44e0891be691974776fe-c52cd1f5-9dab-4f56-93b8-9141d8492f5e.jpg', 'feedLayout': 'small', 'showSocial': True, 'stationURL': 'https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio', 'breadcrumbs': [{'hidden': False, 'text': 'KYW Newsradio', 'url': '//www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio'}, {'hidden': False, 'text': 'News', 'url': '//www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news'}, {'hidden': False, 'text': 'Local', 'url': '//www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local'}], 'contentType': 'article', 'seoHeadline': 'Montco man pleads guilty to defrauding 72 customers', 'stationName': 'KYW Newsradio', 'stationSlug': 'kywnewsradio', 'dateModified': '2025-01-14T00:12:41.412Z', 'featuredNews': True, 'sectionFront': 'news', 'evergreenSlug': None, 'fullWidthLead': False, 'shortHeadline': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'syndicatedUrl': None, 'unityPageType': 'article', 'editorialFeeds': None, 'featuredSports': False, 'msnTitleLength': 116, 'seoDescription': 'A Montgomery County man pleads guilty to ripping off dozens of customers for about half a million dollars, admitting that he took deposits to install home generators and electrical supplies, but then never did the work.', 'stationLogoUrl': 'https://images.radio.com/logos/KYWAM.jpg', 'isContentFromAP': False, 'noIndexNoFollow': False, 'pageDescription': 'A Montgomery County man pleads guilty to ripping off dozens of customers for about half a million dollars, admitting that he took deposits to install home generators and electrical supplies, but then never did the work.', 'primaryHeadline': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'stationCallsign': 'KYWAM', 'stationTimezone': 'ET', 'genreSyndication': None, 'manualSlugUnlock': False, 'socialDescription': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'syndicationStatus': 'original', 'componentVariation': 'article', 'stationSyndication': [], 'hasSecondaryBylines': False, 'corporateSyndication': None, 'rollingStandoutCount': 0, 'secondarySectionFront': 'local', 'contentPageSponsorLogo': {'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/google-ad-manager/instances/cm5vmvul4000d01tnni8qp6p0@published'}, 'displayLogoSponsorship': False, 'plaintextShortHeadline': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', '_opinionHeadlineOverride': {'shouldOverride': False}, 'plaintextPrimaryHeadline': 'Montgomery County man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of customers of half-million dollars in home generator scam', 'canBeMarkedGoogleStandout': True, 'isContentFromNoIndexByline': False, 'availableStandoutArticleInventory': True, 'articleWithinGoogleStandoutPublishDateLimit': True, 'canonicalUrl': 'http://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/1st-call-electric-collegeville-72-counts-deceptive-business-practice', 'site': 'demo'}, 'sort': [1876782], 'stationSlug': 'kywnewsradio', 'original_id': 'www.audacy.com/_components/article/instances/cm5vmvul4000f01tnyqij70mv@published'}}