J-S35014-22 & J-S35015-22

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

v.

MITCHELL EDWARD PEDRO 

Appellant

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 IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF

 PENNSYLVANIA

 No. 1680 MDA 2021

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered November 2, 2021

In the Court of Common Pleas of Sullivan County Criminal Division at 

No(s): CP-57-CR-0000063-2019

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

v.

MITCHELL EDWARD PEDRO 

Appellant

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 IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF

 PENNSYLVANIA

 No. 1685 MDA 2021

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered November 2, 2021

In the Court of Common Pleas of Sullivan County Criminal Division at 

No(s): CP-57-CR-0000026-2019

BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., McLAUGHLIN, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.*

MEMORANDUM BY BENDER, P.J.E.: FILED: MARCH 7, 2023

Mitchell Edward Pedro appeals from the judgment of sentence of 27 to 

72 months of incarceration entered following his convictions for three counts 

____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court.
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of home improvement fraud.

1

 We affirm but remand for entry of a corrected 

judgment of sentence order imposing the recidivism risk reduction incentive 

(“RRRI”) minimum sentence as required by law. 

The following facts pertain to the charges filed at docket CP-57-CR0000063-2019. Appellant was the owner of Mitchell E. Pedro Carpentry. In 

July of 2018, Irene Sigler, a 73-year-old woman, responded to an 

advertisement in the Sullivan Review newspaper promoting Appellant’s 

business. Ms. Sigler owned a vacation cabin in Sullivan County that required 

roof repairs. She and her husband informed Appellant that the job needed to 

be completed promptly as they expected company in a few weeks. Appellant 

wrote a proposal, which subsequently became the parties’ contract, and 

specifically promised that the work would be done within two weeks. On July 

29, 2018, Ms. Sigler wrote Appellant a check for the quoted figure of 

$2,773.50, which Appellant cashed the next day. 

As of August 29, 2018, Appellant had not returned to the Siglers’ cabin 

and ignored their communications. Ms. Sigler eventually emailed Appellant, 

informing him that they no longer wanted his services and requested a refund. 

____________________________________________

1 Appellant was convicted of one count of home improvement fraud at docket 

CP-57-CR-0000026-2019, and two counts of home improvement fraud at 

docket CP-57-CR-0000063-2019. We have sua sponte consolidated the 

appeals as the issues presented are identical. See Pa.R.A.P. 513.

Additionally, Appellant purports to appeal from the trial court’s orders denying 

his post-sentence motions. However, appeal properly lies from the judgment 

of sentence made final by the denial of post-sentence motions. See 

Commonwealth v. Shamberger, 788 A.2d 408, 410 n.2 (Pa. Super 2001) 

(en banc) (citation omitted). We have amended the captions accordingly. 
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Appellant did not respond to the email. Instead, he visited the Siglers’ cabin

the next day and dropped off a man named Eddie to do work. When the 

Siglers confronted Appellant, he claimed that the repairs had already been 

done and that Eddie needed an hour to finish the work. Appellant did not 

answer the Siglers’ inquiries regarding when the work had been done. Eddie 

tore a hole in the ceiling but stopped work shortly thereafter and drank beer 

on their porch. 

That evening, Appellant called the Siglers and informed them that he 

had purchased drywall that he wished to store at the cabin. The Siglers 

reluctantly agreed since Appellant still had their money but instructed 

Appellant not to install the drywall until they confirmed that the roof was fixed. 

Four days later, following a rainfall, the Siglers visited their cabin and observed 

leaks. They contacted Appellant and asked him to visit the property. He did 

not show. On September 7, 2018, the Siglers again demanded a refund. 

Appellant called at approximately 8 p.m. and offered to meet in person to 

discuss the matter, which the Siglers declined due to the late hour. Appellant 

abruptly ended the conversation.

The Siglers then sent Appellant a demand letter via certified mail to the 

address listed on the contract, which was returned as undeliverable. The 

Siglers had no further contact with Appellant and did not receive a refund. 

They then hired another contractor to complete the repairs. 

The Commonwealth charged Appellant with two counts of home 

improvement fraud. At count one, the Commonwealth charged Appellant with 
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violating 73 P.S. § 517.8(a)(2), and at count two, it charged a violation of 73 

P.S. § 517.8(a)(8). Those crimes read as follows:

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits the offense of home 

improvement fraud if, with intent to defraud or injure anyone or 

with knowledge that he is facilitating a fraud or injury to be 

perpetrated by anyone, the actor:

. . . .

(2) receives any advance payment for performing home 

improvement services or providing home improvement 

materials and fails to perform or provide such services or 

materials when specified in the contract taking into account 

any force majeure or unforeseen labor strike that would 

extend the time frame or unless extended by agreement 

with the owner and fails to return the payment received for 

such services or materials which were not provided by that 

date;

. . . .

(8) directly or indirectly publishes a false or deceptive 

advertisement in violation of State law governing 

advertising about home improvement.

73 P.S. § 517.8. 

Regarding count two, the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act 

(“HICPA”), 73 P.S. §§ 517.1-517.19, requires contractors performing home 

improvement services2to register with the Bureau of Consumer Protection 

(“Bureau”), a division of the Office of Attorney General of Pennsylvania. 73 

P.S. § 517.3(a). The Bureau then issues a registration certificate, which 

includes a unique registration number. Renewals are required every two 

____________________________________________

2 The terms “contractor” and “home improvement” are separately defined. 

There is no dispute that Appellant was a contractor performing home 

improvement services as defined.
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years. A contractor is required to include the registration number in any 

advertisement distributed within the Commonwealth. 73 P.S. § 517.6. 

Appellant registered with the Bureau in August of 2011. That registration 

expired on August 11, 2013, and he failed to renew it.3 Thus, the 

advertisements he placed in the newspaper, which included his registration 

number, falsely conveyed that he was validly registered with the Bureau.

The following facts pertain to the charges filed at docket CP-57-CR0000026-2019. James Bausher, seventy-one-years old, and his wife, Bonnie, 

who was sixty-nine-years old, also owned a vacation home in Sullivan County

that required roofing repairs. The Baushers saw Appellant’s ad in the Sullivan 

Times and responded. Appellant visited the property in their absence and 

wrote up a proposal. 

On June 27, 2018, Mr. Bausher wrote a check for $3,450, the amount 

requested by Appellant as a down payment. Appellant did not arrange a 

schedule with the Baushers as planned, prompting Mr. Bausher to call 

Appellant on July 9, 2018. Mr. Bausher asked Appellant if he had received the 

check; Appellant stated he had not. Mr. Bausher told Appellant he would 

check with his bank to determine if it had been cashed, but Appellant advised 

him not to do so. Mr. Bausher visited his bank and learned that Appellant had 

____________________________________________

3 Appellant renewed the registration in February of 2019, but his registration 

was deactivated in August of 2019, after an audit revealed Appellant’s 

insurance had lapsed. Appellant was given an opportunity to update his 

information, but he failed to do so. 
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endorsed and cashed the check on June 29, 2018. When confronted, 

Appellant claimed he mistook the down payment for another client. Appellant 

promised to begin work the week of July 16, but failed to appear onsite. Mr. 

Bausher called Appellant during this time period to ask when work would begin 

but Appellant would not give a definitive answer. 

Finally, on August 14, 2018, Mr. Bausher told Appellant that if he failed 

to start work by August 31, he would take steps to get his money back. 

Appellant showed up on August 31 and unloaded tarps at the property. He 

claimed, however, that he would not be able to start work as he had trouble 

finding workers to assist. Eventually, Mr. Bausher sent a demand letter via 

certified mail, which was received and signed for by a woman named Marla. 

Appellant did not return the money, nor did he ever start the work. The 

Commonwealth charged Appellant with four counts, including, at count four, 

a violation of 73 P.S. § 517.8(a)(8). 

The Commonwealth consolidated the two dockets, and the parties 

proceeded to a jury trial on August 23, 2021. At docket CP-57-CR-0000063-

2019, the jury found Appellant guilty of both counts of home improvement 

fraud. At CP-57-CR-0000026-2019, the jury convicted Appellant of count four 

and acquitted him of the other three counts.

On November 2, 2021, the trial court sentenced Appellant to 9 to 24 

months of incarceration at each of the three counts, set consecutively to each 

other for the aggregate sentence of 27 to 72 months of incarceration. 
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Appellant filed a timely post-sentence motion, which was denied on November 

22, 2021.

4

 Appellant timely appealed5 and filed a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) 

statement. The trial court filed its responsive Rule 1925(a) opinion, and we 

now address the issues presented:

1. Did the Trial Court err in denying the Post Sentence Motion 

when HICPA states no Criminal penalty for failing to register as 

set forth in 73 P.S. § 517.8, Home Improvement Fraud, being 

specified by the Legislature Regarding advertising an alleged 

expired registration number when no notice is provided that 

criminal penalties attach to the conduct alleged to have been done 

by Appellant in violation of due process to convict Appellant, the 

Trial Court had no jurisdiction for a criminal matter that could have 

____________________________________________

4 The post-sentence motion was docketed on November 15, 2021. See 

Pa.R.Crim.P. 720 (post-sentence motion must be filed within ten days after 

sentence). Because an untimely post-sentence motion does not toll the 

appeal period, this Court issued a rule to show cause why the appeal should 

not be quashed as untimely, given that Appellant did not file his notice of 

appeal until December 17, 2021. See Commonwealth v. Dreves, 839 A.2d 

1122, 1127 (Pa. Super. 2003) (en banc) (“[W]here the defendant does not 

file a timely post-sentence motion, there is no basis to permit the filing of an 

appeal beyond 30 days after the imposition of sentence.”). Appellant’s

response included a copy of his post-sentence motion, establishing that it was 

electronically filed and accepted on Friday, November 12, 2021. Appellant 

noted that per Pa.R.Crim.P. 576.1(E)(5), a filing should be docketed on the 

day it was electronically submitted. The Court discharged the rule to show 

cause and deferred the issue to this panel. We agree that the post-sentence 

motion was timely filed, thereby tolling the thirty-day appeal period. 

Therefore, this appeal is timely. 

5 Appellant filed six notices of appeal on December 17, 2021, docketed at 1680 

MDA 2021, 1681 MDA 2021, 1682 MDA 2021, 1683 MDA 2021, 1684 MDA 

2021, 1685 MDA 2021, 1686 MDA 2021, and 1687 MDA 2021. 

The appeals at 1681 through 1684 were quashed by this Court as duplicative 

of the 1680 MDA 2021 appellate docket. The 1685 MDA 2021 docket pertains 

to CP-57-CR-0000026-2019 and remains active. The 1686 and 1687 dockets 

were quashed by this Court as duplicative of 1685 MDA 2021. As previously 

stated, we have consolidated the two active dockets. 
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been resolved by civil remedies and the verdict is so contrary to 

the evidence it shocks one’s sense of justice. 

2. Did the Trial Court err in denying the Motion to Dismiss at 

Trial of August 23, 2021 even though HICPA states no Criminal 

penalty for failing to register as set forth in 73 P.S. § 517.8, Home 

Improvement Fraud, being specified by the Legislature Regarding 

advertising an alleged expired registration number when no notice 

is provided that criminal penalties attach to the conduct alleged to 

have been done by Appellant in violation of due process to convict 

Appellant. 

3. Did the Trial Court err in denying the Motion for Leave to 

File Petition for Habeas Corpus of March 23, 2021 by the Order of 

April 20, 2021 even though Appellant was represented by his third 

attorney and provided cause for the delay in the filing pursuant to 

PA.R.Crim. P. 579 which amounted to a break down in the legal 

process and the interests of the justice required the meritorious 

Petition for Habeas Corpus be heard by the Trial Court.

4. Did the Trial Court err in denying the Appellant’s request for 

bail pending appeal at the time of Sentencing by failing to state 

on the record the reasons for his decision of denial of bail at the 

time of sentencing or after written request in the Post Sentence 

Motion pursuant to Pa.R.Crim.P. 521(C). 

5. Did the Trial Court err and abuse its discretion by denying 

the Appellant's objection to Commonwealth Exhibit 11 and 

denying the Appellant's requested jury instruction defining the 

term fraud which effected the outcome of the Trial.

6. Did the Trial Court err and abuse its discretion by sentencing 

the Appellant to an F2 when the charge was listed as an F3 in the 

Criminal Information, failing to award appropriate time credit and 

sentencing Appellant to an unduly harsh sentence consecutive to 

his other case when he had a prior record score of “0”.
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Appellant’s Brief at 1680 MDA 2021 at 5-7 (verbatim) reordered for ease of 

disposition).6

Appellant’s first issue involves the sufficiency of the evidence. Our 

standard of review is well-settled. “The law is settled in this Commonwealth 

that in reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, the appellate court is required 

to review all the evidence and all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom in 

the light most favorable to the Commonwealth[.]” Commonwealth v. 

McCollum, 926 A.2d 527, 530 (Pa. Super. 2007) (quoting 

Commonwealth v. Earnest, 563 A.2d 158, 159 (Pa. Super. 1989)).

The Commonwealth maintains that Appellant has waived this issue as 

he failed to challenge any element in the concise statement of errors 

complained of on appeal. This Court has repeatedly held that, to preserve a 

claim attacking the sufficiency of evidence on appeal, the Rule 1925(b) 

statement “needs to specify the element or elements upon which the evidence 

was insufficient.” Commonwealth v. Arnold, 284 A.3d 1262, 1279 (Pa. 

Super. 2022) (quoting Commonwealth v. Tyack, 128 A.3d 254, 260 (Pa. 

Super. 2015)). Similarly, a statement that “is too vague can result in waiver 

of issues on appeal.” Id. (citation omitted). Appellant’s concise statement 

identified his first issue as follows:

Whether the Trial Court erred by Denying the Post Sentence 

Motion of November 12, 2021 including the Motion for Judgment 

____________________________________________

6 We reiterate that the issues raised in the 1685 MDA 2021 appeal are 

substantively identical. 
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of Acquittal based upon the insufficiency facts in the law, Motion 

for Arrest of Judgment based upon HICPA not criminalizing the 

conduct alleged to have been done by the Defendant in the 

charging documents and at trial therefore the Court did not have 

jurisdiction for a criminal prosecution of this matter which could 

have been resolved by civil remedies, Motion for New Trial based 

upon jury's verdict is so contrary to the evidence that it shocks 

one’s sense of justice and that a new trial is imperative so that 

Mr. Pedro may given another opportunity to prevail, Motion to 

Modify Sentence based upon improper and/or unduly harsh 

sentence including failing to include proper time credit, running 

all sentences consecutively instead of concurrently, sentencing 

the Defendant outside the eligibility of Boot Camp when he had a 

prior record score of “0” and would be otherwise eligible for Boot 

Camp and denying Mr. Pedro bail pending Appeal pursuant to Pa. 

R. Crim. P. 521(B). 

Concise Statement, 1/28/22, at unnumbered 3 (verbatim).

The Commonwealth characterizes this as a “lengthy and, frankly, 

confusing statement” that failed to “put the trial court on notice of the specific 

sufficiency argument Appellant makes on appeal.” Commonwealth’s Brief at 

16. We agree that Appellant failed to preserve his present argument. 

Appellant’s confusing concise statement has little relation to Appellant’s 

current argument, which focuses on a phrase within Section 517.8(a)(8). That 

crime reads:

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits the offense of home 

improvement fraud if, with intent to defraud or injure 

anyone or with knowledge that he is facilitating a fraud or 

injury to be perpetrated by anyone, the actor:

(8) directly or indirectly publishes a false or deceptive 

advertisement in violation of State law governing 

advertising about home improvement.

73 P.S. § 517.8 (emphasis added). 
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While his argument is undeveloped, it appears that the gravamen of 

Appellant’s argument is that Section 517.9 supplies the exclusive ‘State law 

governing advertising about home improvement’ for purposes of establishing 

a violation of Section 517.8(a)(8). Section 517.9, entitled “Prohibited acts,” 

states in pertinent part: 

No person shall:

....

(8) Advertise or offer, by any means, to perform a home 

improvement if the person does not intend to do any of the 

following:

(i) Accept a home improvement contract.

(ii) Perform the home improvement.

(iii) Charge for the home improvement at the price 

advertised or offered.

73 P.S. § 517.9.

We agree with the Commonwealth that the prolix concise statement 

failed to alert the trial court of that specific argument. We therefore find that 

Appellant has waived his claim. 

We additionally determine that, even if the statement preserved his 

sufficiency challenge, the claim is waived for deficient presentation. “[W]hen 

defects in a brief impede our ability to conduct meaningful appellate review, 

we may dismiss the appeal entirely or find certain issues to be waived.” 

Commonwealth v. Kane, 10 A.3d 327, 331 (Pa. Super. 2010) (quoting 

Commonwealth v. Hardy, 918 A.2d 766, 771 (Pa. Super. 2007)). To begin,

Appellant’s statement is internally inconsistent as its requested relief is for a 
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new trial. However, a successful sufficiency challenge results in discharge. 

See Commonwealth v. Yanoff, 690 A.2d 260, 263 (Pa. Super. 1997). 

Additionally, Appellant does not separately contest his conviction for violating 

73 P.S. § 517.8(a)(2). His requested remedy is a new trial on the grounds 

the verdict “is shock to justice [sic] the Appellant would be found guilty of the 

HICPA [v]iolations.” Appellant’s Brief at 20. The plural suggests that 

Appellant seeks a new trial on all counts, not just the Section (a)(8) violations. 

This conclusion is bolstered by the fact that Appellant references his motion 

for a writ of habeas corpus, which requested dismissal of all charges, in part 

because “the basis for the fraud is the use of the allegedly expired contractor 

registration number,” and “it is a violation of due process to pursue criminal 

charges.” See Brief in Support of Motion for Habeas Corpus, 3/22/21, at 

unnumbered 3. 

Even if we were to limit our focus to the Section (a)(8) convictions,

Appellant’s argument offers no focused examination of the statutory language 

‘State law governing advertising about improvement.’ Ascertaining legislative 

intent presents a pure question of law. See Commonwealth v. Gamby, 283 

A.3d 298 (Pa. 2022) (determining that the neck qualified as “sexual or other 

intimate parts” for indecent assault and the evidence was therefore sufficient 

to convict). The phrase ‘governed by State law’ is undefined, thus we would 

need to determine the plain meaning of that language. Id. at 304. In lieu of 

an argument focused on what the General Assembly intended by employing 

the phrase ‘governed by State law,’ Appellant seems to argue that Section 
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517.9(a)(8) establishes the sole basis by which the Commonwealth can 

sanction an individual for what may generically be referred to as ‘false 

advertising.’ But, of course, the Commonwealth did not allege that Appellant’s 

false advertising satisfied any of the Section 517.9(a)(8)(i)-(iii) conditions, 

none of which involve fraud. Instead, it charged Appellant with intending to 

defraud the victims pursuant to Sections 517.8(a)(2) and (8). 

We add that Appellant’s reply brief argues that we must read the 

language in the light most favorable to him, which is the rule of lenity.

Appellant’s Reply Brief at 3 (arguing that the Commonwealth “may not argue 

[l]egislative [i]intent contrary to the plain meaning of the language” and that 

the language “must be interpreted in the light most favorable to the 

[a]ppellant”). However, that rule only applies when a penal statute is 

ambiguous. “Under the rule of lenity, when a penal statute is ambiguous, it 

must be strictly construed in favor of the defendant.” Commonwealth v. 

Cousins, 212 A.3d 34, 39 (Pa. 2019) (citation omitted). Appellant does not 

claim that the statutory language is ambiguous. 

In sum, Appellant’s argument is confusing and impedes appellate 

review. He offers no analysis of the key statutory phrase ‘governing 

advertising about home improvement.’ Nor is it even clear that Appellant is 

solely attacking his convictions for those counts, as portions of his argument 

seem to suggest that the Commonwealth could not prosecute Appellant for 

any criminal act. In addition to the quoted habeas corpus request for relief, 

Appellant makes the entirely unexplained assertion that the trial court “had 
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no jurisdiction for a criminal matter that could have been resolved by civil 

remedies[.]” Appellant’s Brief at 5. All of these defects impede our ability to 

address Appellant’s claim. “This Court will not act as counsel and will not 

develop arguments on behalf of an appellant.” Commonwealth v. Hardy, 

918 A.2d 766, 771 (Pa. Super. 2007). Appellant’s failure to develop a 

coherent argument mandates waiver of this issue. 

Appellant’s reordered second issue is a repackaging of the foregoing 

argument. After the Commonwealth rested its case, Appellant requested that 

the court grant a judgment of acquittal. As with the first claim, we will not 

develop Appellant’s argument, and we deem it waived for the same reasons. 

Appellant’s reordered third point of error involves Appellant’s request 

for leave to file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking dismissal of the 

charges. The trial court declined to consider the motion based on Rule 579,

which specifies that pre-trial motions for relief shall be filed “within 30 days 

after arraignment, unless opportunity therefor did not exist, or the defendant 

or defense attorney, or the attorney for the Commonwealth, was not aware of 

the grounds for the motion, or unless the time for filing has been extended by 

the court for cause shown.” Pa.R.Crim.P. 579(A). Appellant filed the motion 

for leave on March 22, 2021. The trial court’s opinion noted that Appellant 
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was charged at several dockets7 and that the last arraignment occurred on 

October 25, 2019. 

Appellant submits that the trial court abused its discretion in failing to 

find cause to excuse the late filing. His primary argument is that his prior 

attorneys failed to file the motion in a timely manner for various reasons, 

including defending a homicide trial, moving offices, and having COVID. See

Appellant’s Brief at 21-22. 

We agree with the Commonwealth that this issue is moot. See 

Commonwealth’s Brief at 22-23. If the Commonwealth proves the offense 

beyond a reasonable doubt, “any defects at a preliminary hearing regarding 

the sufficiency of the evidence are considered harmless.” Commonwealth 

v. Wilson, 172 A.3d 605, 610 (Pa. Super. 2017) (quotation marks and citation 

omitted). The “conviction at trial precludes this Court from reviewing his 

pretrial habeas issues.” Id. Moreover, Appellant simply states that the trial 

court abused its discretion in accepting the untimely filing but does not discuss 

what remedy would attach. At best, we would decide the issue as if timely 

filed, but that simply returns us to the conclusion that the subsequent guilty 

verdicts obviated the need to address those claims. 

____________________________________________

7 Appellant was charged at five total dockets. In addition to the two dockets 

at issue in this consolidated appeal, two of the dockets were dismissed at trial. 

The trial court granted dismissal of the fifth pursuant to Pa.R.Crim.P. 586, 

which permits parties in cases not involving violence to reach an agreement. 

Presumably, Appellant returned whatever sum was involved. 
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Appellant’s reordered fourth issue challenges the trial court’s order 

denying bail pending appeal, as raised in his post-sentence motion. The 

Commonwealth argues that, per Rule of Appellate Procedure 1762, an appeal 

of a trial court’s decision pertaining to bail following sentencing cannot be 

raised on direct appeal from the judgment of sentence. That Rule states:

(a) Bail when an appeal is pending--Applications relating to 

bail when an appeal is pending shall ordinarily first be presented 

to the trial court and shall be governed by the Pennsylvania Rules 

of Criminal Procedure. If the trial court denies relief, a party may 

seek relief in the appellate court by filing an application, pursuant 

to Pa.R.A.P. 123, ancillary to the pending appeal.

(b) Bail when no appeal is pending.--Applications relating to 

bail when no appeal is pending:

(1) Applications relating to bail when no appeal is pending 

shall first be presented to the trial court and shall be 

governed by the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure.

(2) An order relating to bail shall be subject to review 

pursuant to Chapter 16.

Pa.R.A.P. 1762.

Appellant sought bail after sentencing, which was denied, and then 

included another application for bail in a post-sentence motion as opposed to 

filing a separate application for bail pending the outcome of the motion. See 

Comment, Pa.R.Crim.P. 720 (“For bail proceedings pending the outcome of 

the post-sentence motion, see Rules 521 and 523.”). Because the bail 

application preceded the pendency of his appeal, Rule 1762(b)(1) applies. 

Appellant did not follow the procedures for seeking appellate review of that 

order pursuant to Chapter 16 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure, which 
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creates a specialized petition for review process for denials of bail. See 

Commonwealth v. Carter, 247 A.3d 27 (Pa. Super. 2021). We therefore 

cannot review the claim. 

The reordered fifth issue involves two distinct issues. First, Appellant 

argues that the trial court erroneously admitted Commonwealth’s Exhibit 11, 

which was a sample of a registration certificate that the Bureau issues to home 

contractors. The Commonwealth admitted a sample because it does not retain 

copies of the originals. 

Q. Does your office retain a copy of that certification that was 

issued, for example, to Mitchell Pedro in 2011? 

A. We do not retain certificates, no.

Q. OK, so is what you have in front of you, is that just a sample 

of what would have been sent?

A. Correct.

N.T., 8/23/21, at 53.

Second, Appellant argues that the trial court erred in declining to give 

his suggested jury instruction defining “fraud.” We reproduce the entirety of 

Appellant’s argument in support of this issue:

At the Trial, the Trial Court improperly admitted Commonwealth’s 

Exhibit 11, a sample form with the name of a person from 

Philadelphia from the Consumer Protection Bureau, into the 

evidence which was objected to by Mr. Pedro as it did not have 

Mr. Pedro’s name or address on the document. (Hearing 8-23-21 

N.T. 52-55). The Trial Court failed to provide a definition of fraud 

in the Jury instructions even though the Jury deliberated for 

numerous hours, asked numerous questions regarding the jury 

instructions including the importance of the age of victims, 

requesting all the exhibits, written copies of the definitions of each 

charge presented verbally by the Court to the Jury. (Hearing 8-
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23-21 N.T. 219-232). 

The admissibility of evidence is at the discretion of the trial court 

and only a showing of an abuse of that discretion, and resulting 

prejudice, constitutes reversible error.” Commonwealth v. Glass, 

2012 PA Super 137, 50 A.3d 720, 724-25 (Pa. Super. 2012). In 

reviewing a trial court’s refusal to provide a jury instruction, the 

appellate court reviews whether the jury instruction is warranted 

by the evidence presented in the case and changed outcome of 

case. Commonwealth v. Baker, 963 A.2d 495 (Pa. Super. 2008).

The Trial Court’s decision to admit Exhibit 11 and failure to provide 

a definition of the term “Fraud” directly effected and changed the 

outcome of the case and prejudiced the Appellant. 

Appellant’s Brief at 26-27 (verbatim). 

For evidentiary errors, the standard of review is an abuse of discretion. 

“As our Supreme Court has explained, ‘[t]he admissibility of evidence is a 

matter solely within the discretion of the trial court. This Court will reverse 

an evidentiary ruling only where a clear abuse of discretion occurs.’” 

Commonwealth v. Woeber, 174 A.3d 1096, 1100 (Pa. Super. 2017)

(quoting Commonwealth v. Johnson, 638 A.2d 940, 942 (Pa. 1994)). 

Appellant offers no argument as to why admitting the evidence was an abuse 

of discretion, and we cannot discern one. Appellant correctly notes that the 

form “did not have [Appellant]’s name or address on the document.” 

Appellant’s Brief at 26. But the Commonwealth clearly admitted the document 

for its demonstrative value, showing the jury what Appellant’s form would 

have generically looked like. Additionally, even if we accept that the trial court 

somehow erred in admitting the exhibit, Appellant offers no argument as to 

how an innocuous document like this one could have possibly prejudiced him.
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Turning to the jury instruction issue, we agree with the Commonwealth

that Appellant did not preserve his objection. “[U]nder Criminal Procedural 

Rules 603 and 647(B), the mere submission and subsequent denial of 

proposed points for charge that are inconsistent with or omitted from the 

instructions actually given will not suffice to preserve an issue, absent a 

specific objection or exception to the charge or the trial court’s ruling 

respecting the points.” Commonwealth v. Pressley, 887 A.2d 220, 225 (Pa. 

2005). In Commonwealth v. Green, 273 A.3d 1080, 1084 (Pa. Super. 

2022), this Court held that Pressley’s interpretation of those Rules did not 

require waiver when counsel argued, on two separate days, for self-defense 

and voluntary manslaughter charges. The appellant preserved his objections 

on the record during the charging conferences and the trial court assured 

counsel that the issues were preserved for appeal. We acknowledged that an

objection at the end of the charge would have eliminated any need to discuss 

waiver, but “we do not find that preserving his objections on the record during 

the charging conferences, rather than at the end of the jury charge, where 

the trial court expressly informs counsel his objections were preserved, runs 

afoul of Pressley or Rule 647(B).” Id. at 1084. Green stated that the 

Pressley holding applied when “there is no indication that counsel did 

anything more than merely submit proposed points that the trial court 

denied.” Id. at 1083.

A mere submission of proposed points describes what happened here. 

The relevant exchange reads as follows:
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[Appellant]: Regarding fraud, with the intent to fraud [sic] or 

injure anyone with knowledge that you’re facilitating a fraud or 

injury to be perpetrated by anyone, I would ask that the Court 

define fraud as knowingly or recklessly deceptive and I took that 

definition from ... Commonwealth v. Hill, 140 A.3d 713 [(Pa. 

Super. 2016)].

[Trial Court]: Attorney Anderson?

[Commonwealth]: Judge, I don’t feel there’s a need to define the 

word fraud. I feel that’s a commonly known and used word in 

general society and would not require further explanation or 

definition by the [c]ourt. 

* * *

[Trial Court]: [W]ith respect to fraud, I’ll agree with the 

Commonwealth. That is a more common phrase and ... an average 

member of the public would be aware of the same. 

N.T., 8/23/21, at 161-62. 

Following the instructions regarding the elements of each crime, the trial 

court asked Appellant, “has this [c]ourt failed to instruct the jury with respect 

to the elements of the offenses?” Appellant replied, “No, Your Honor.” Id. at 

205. Appellant thus failed to preserve his challenge to the jury instructions.

Appellant’s final issue raises several challenges to his sentence, 

involving both its legality and the discretionary aspects. We find these 

arguments to be meritless. However, we find an error regarding the RRRI 

sentence and remand to the trial court for entry of a corrected sentencing 

order. 

Beginning with the legality, Appellant argues that the sentence imposed 

at docket CP-57-CR-0000026-2019 is illegal because the criminal information 

specified that the crime was graded as a felony of the third degree. The trial 
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court accepted the Commonwealth’s argument that the enhanced felony of 

the second degree grading applied. 

The criminal information for docket CP-57-CR-0000026-2019 was 

prepared by the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, which was 

prosecuting the case before the Attorney General took over.8 The information 

charging Appellant with a violation of 73 P.S. § 517.8(a)(8) listed the grading 

as a felony of the third degree. 

That grading applies when the amount involved exceeds $2,000. 73 

P.S. § 517.8(c)(1)(i) (“A violation of subsection (a) ... (8) constitutes ... a 

felony of the third degree if the amount involved exceeds $2,000.”). The 

offense is graded as a felony of the second degree if the victim was sixty years 

or older. 73 P.S. § 517.8(c)(4) (“Where a person commits an offense under 

subsection (a) and the victim is 60 years of age or older, the grading of the 

offense shall be one grade higher than specified in paragraphs (1), (2) and 

(3).”). 

We find that this notice was constitutionally defective. In

Commonwealth v. King, 234 A.3d 549 (Pa. 2020), our Supreme Court 

considered the legality of an “enhanced sentence for attempted murder 

resulting in serious bodily injury ... when the Commonwealth failed to provide 

formal notice of its intent to seek the enhancement in the charging 

documents.” Id. at 552. The sentence for attempted murder normally carries 

____________________________________________

8 The criminal information in the other case was filed by the Attorney General 

and correctly lists the grading as a felony of the second degree. 
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a maximum penalty of twenty years unless serious bodily injury occurs, in 

which case the maximum is forty years. The charging documents listed the 

crime of attempted murder but made no reference to the statutory section 

authorizing the increased penalty. The King Court held that this defect 

violated due process.

[T]he Commonwealth in effect prosecuted King for the aggravated 

crime of attempted murder causing serious bodily injury despite 

charging him with the crime of attempted murder. The statutory 

definition of attempted murder does not require proof of serious 

bodily injury. See 18 Pa.C.S. §[§] 901, 2502. Section 1102(c) 

provides that a person convicted of attempted murder that does 

not result in serious bodily injury may be sentenced to a maximum 

term of twenty years of imprisonment, whereas a person 

convicted of attempted murder that results in serious bodily injury 

faces a maximum term of forty years of imprisonment. 18 Pa.C.S. 

§ 1102(c). Serious bodily injury caused by the attempted murder 

is undoubtedly an essential element of the offense that must be 

included in the charging documents.

It therefore follows that the charging instrument must include 

those elements to put the defendant on notice of the crime. 

* * * *

Here, the criminal information plainly put King on notice of the 

crime of attempted murder. But ... King was convicted of the 

aggravated crime of attempted murder causing serious bodily 

injury. Nothing in the indictment or criminal information itself 

alerted King to the Commonwealth’s intention to prosecute him of 

that crime. We therefore hold that when the Commonwealth 

intends to seek an enhanced sentence for attempted murder 

resulting in serious bodily injury under Section 1102(c), the 

Commonwealth must include a citation to the statutory provision 

as well as its language in the charging documents. While the 

information arguably gave some notice of the Commonwealth’s 

intent to seek the sentencing enhancement based on the facts 

alleged in the charging documents and the Commonwealth’s 

mention of the sentencing guidelines prior to trial, this degree of 

notice was insufficient.
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Id. at 562-63. 

Similarly, the criminal information here put Appellant on notice that it 

intended to prosecute him of the crime of home improvement fraud by false 

or deceptive advertising, causing a loss in excess of $2,000. Nothing in the 

information signaled that the Commonwealth intended to prove the crime 

Appellant was actually sentenced for, which may be described as home 

improvement fraud by false or deceptive advertising against a person over the 

age of sixty. This was, for constitutional purposes, an aggravated crime. The 

Commonwealth’s criminal information therefore violated due process by failing 

to include a reference to the 73 P.S. § 517.8(c)(4) provision authorizing the 

enhanced penalty. 

However, King held that the due process violation does not 

automatically result in an illegal sentence, as the error is subject to harmless 

error review. “[W]e conclude that King was adequately apprised through 

other means of the Commonwealth’s intentions and that the charging error 

was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id. at 563.

We conclude that the error here was harmless beyond a reasonable 

doubt. See Commonwealth v. Hamlett, 234 A.3d 486 (Pa. 2020) (holding 

that appellate courts may sua sponte invoke harmless error even where 

Commonwealth fails to raise it). The Commonwealth submitted special 

interrogatories to the jury asking it to determine the age of the victim, which 

is, of course, an objective fact and was not contested. Additionally, the fact 

that Appellant was jointly prosecuted for the exact same crime against another 
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victim over the age of 60 is also evidence that Appellant was not taken by 

surprise. And perhaps most significantly, it appears that Appellant was fully 

aware of the Commonwealth’s intentions. Appellant’s brief in support of his 

petition for a writ of habeas corpus argued, “Query how an advertisement in 

the newspaper as alleged is specifically targeted to individuals 60 or older.” 

Brief in Support of Motion for Habeas Corpus, 3/22/21, at unnumbered 3. The 

next paragraph states, “The Commonwealth is required to set forth the basis

for the grading in the Information.” Id.

The Commonwealth’s response argued, “The Commonwealth will 

establish at trial that the victims in all four captioned cases are older than 60. 

The applicable grading for the charged offenses is thus enhanced to Felony 2.” 

Commonwealth’s Brief in Opposition, 4/23/21, at 10. That response, plainly 

stating the Commonwealth’s intention to prove the aggravated crime as we 

have described it, meets if not exceeds the de facto notice that the King Court 

found.

While King did not receive formal notice of the Commonwealth’s 

intent to seek the enhancement, King received de facto notice, at 

various points before trial, that the Commonwealth was seeking 

the enhancement. For example, the factual summaries in the 

charging documents made clear that Banks suffered serious bodily 

injury. Moreover, the Commonwealth advised King that the 

minimum penalty for attempted murder if convicted was 

seventeen and one-half years, signaling that the Commonwealth 

intended to seek the enhancement. Finally, the Commonwealth 

and King’s attorney reviewed and agreed to the content and form

of the verdict sheet prior to jury deliberations, which included a 

special interrogatory regarding whether Banks suffered serious 

bodily injury as a result of the attempted murder.
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King, 234 A.3d at 566 (footnote omitted). 

Finally, as in King, we note that it does not appear that the 

Commonwealth’s failure to provide formal notice in the information had any 

effect on Appellant’s defense. Id. We therefore conclude that any error was 

harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. 

In his next challenge to the sentence’s legality, Appellant argues that he 

was entitled to seventy-four days of time credit as a matter of law. At 

sentencing, Appellant stated that he had served “a total of 74 days after his 

arrest and prior to sentencing” the Columbia County Correctional Facility. N.T. 

Sentencing, 11/2/21, at 7. He asked the court to credit him for those days 

because “all the charges ... [are] all related to each other[.]” Id. The 

Commonwealth responded that Appellant was entitled to ten days of time 

credit, but the remaining 64 days “ha[ve] no relationship to this case[.]” Id.

at 10. Appellant makes no specific argument regarding the time credit and

does not address the representations that the 64 days involved a case that

has nothing to do with the home improvement fraud dockets. As with other

issues raised in this appeal, this Court will not develop Appellant’s argument. 

We therefore deem this aspect of Appellant’s claim waived.

Turning to the discretionary aspects of Appellant’s sentence, we 

conclude that Appellant has failed to present a substantial question warranting 

our review. These appeals are not as of right. 

Before [this Court may] reach the merits of [a challenge to the 

discretionary aspects of a sentence], we must engage in a four 

part analysis to determine: (1) whether the appeal [was timely-
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filed]; (2) whether Appellant preserved his issue; (3) whether 

Appellant’s brief includes a concise statement of the reasons relied 

upon for allowance of appeal with respect to the discretionary 

aspects of sentence; and (4) whether the concise statement raises 

a substantial question that the sentence is appropriate under the 

sentencing code.... [I]f the appeal satisfies each of these four 

requirements, we will then proceed to decide the substantive 

merits of the case.

Commonwealth v. White, 193 A.3d 977, 982 (Pa. Super. 2018) (quoting 

Commonwealth v. Disalvo, 70 A.3d 900, 902 (Pa. Super. 2013)).

Appellant has met the first three requirements, but we agree with the 

Commonwealth that he has failed to satisfy the fourth requirement. The Rule 

2119(f) statement reads:

The sentence imposed was within the sentencing guidelines. The 

sentences imposed were not run concurrently at the time of

sentence despite ... [Appellant’s] having [a] prior record score of 

0 and no history of violence. The [t]rial [c]ourt refused to allow 

... [Appellant] credit for seventy-four (74) days confinement 

contrary to 42 Pa.C.S.[] § 9760.

Appellant’s Brief at 15. 

We first note the guideline ranges for these crimes. The sentencing 

guidelines codified at 203 Pa. Code. § 303.15 designate offense gravity scores. 

The home improvement fraud crimes are not specifically listed, and thus, the 

default assignment of an offense gravity score of seven for a felony of the 

second degree applies. When paired with Appellant’s prior record score of 

zero, the basic sentencing matrix calls for a sentence of 6 to 14 months in the 

standard range. Thus, the sentence of 9 to 24 months at the three counts, 

set consecutively to each other, falls within the middle of the standard range. 

The decision to impose consecutive sentences at all three counts does not 
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present a substantial question in the absence of some other allegation. As 

this Court stated in Commonwealth v Dodge, 77 A.3d 1263, 1270 (Pa. 

Super. 2013):

To make it clear, a defendant may raise a substantial question 

where he receives consecutive sentences within the guideline 

ranges if the case involves circumstances where the application of 

the guidelines would be clearly unreasonable, resulting in an 

excessive sentence; however, a bald claim of excessiveness due 

to the consecutive nature of a sentence will not raise a substantial 

question.

Id. at 1270 (emphasis added). Appellant’s bald claim of excessiveness does 

not raise a substantial question and we therefore find that he has failed to 

invoke the jurisdiction of this Court to review the discretionary aspects of his 

sentence. 

Even if Appellant presented a proper substantial question warranting our 

review, we would find no abuse of discretion. The trial court had the benefit 

of a pre-sentence investigation report, and its opinion briefly discusses its 

rationale for imposing the sentence, writing that consecutive standard range 

sentences were appropriate because 

[Appellant] never accepted or took responsibility for his actions. 

[Appellant] engaged in criminal conduct that took advantage of 

society’s most vulnerable individuals, those over sixty (60) years 

of age. [Appellant] never apologized to his victims. Lastly, 

[Appellant] did not comply with his bail conditions. [Appellant] 

admitted to his probation officer that one (1) week prior to his 

interview for his Pre-Sentence Investigation, he used marijuana, 

which was a direct violation of his bail.

Trial Court Opinion, 2/28/22, at 3-4.
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The trial court articulated a reasoned basis for its sentence, and the 

sentencing transcript reveals that Appellant, consistent with arguments made 

in his appellate briefs, repeatedly expressed his view that these matters 

should have been resolved in civil court. We discern no abuse of discretion in 

the trial court’s determination that consecutive sentences were warranted in 

light of Appellant’s lack of remorse and multiple victims. 

Finally, we address Appellant’s RRRI sentence. The trial court 

determined that Appellant was eligible for that program. As set forth in the 

Sentencing Code, the trial court shall determine eligibility at the time of 

sentencing. 

(b.1) Recidivism risk reduction incentive minimum 

sentence.--The court shall determine if the defendant is eligible 

for a recidivism risk reduction incentive minimum sentence under 

61 Pa.C.S. Ch. 45 (relating to recidivism risk reduction incentive). 

If the defendant is eligible, the court shall impose a 

recidivism risk reduction incentive minimum sentence in 

addition to a minimum sentence and maximum sentence 

except, if the defendant was previously sentenced to two or more 

recidivism risk reduction incentive minimum sentences, the court 

shall have the discretion to impose a sentence with no recidivism 

risk reduction incentive minimum.

42 Pa.C.S. § 9756(b.1) (emphasis added). 

As the emphasized language illustrates, the trial court must sentence 

an RRRI-eligible offender to the ‘normal’ minimum and maximum sentence, 

and, separately, to a sentence including the applicable reduction. The 

reductions are set forth in 61 Pa.C.S. § 4505.

(c) Recidivism risk reduction incentive minimum 

sentence.--If the court determines that the defendant is an 
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eligible offender or the prosecuting attorney has waived the 

eligibility requirements under subsection (b), the court shall 

provide notice of eligibility to the defendant and enter a 

sentencing order that does all of the following:

(1) Imposes the minimum and maximum sentences as 

required under 42 Pa.C.S. § 9752 (relating to sentencing 

proceeding generally).

(2) Imposes the recidivism risk reduction incentive 

minimum sentence. The court shall direct the department 

to calculate the length of the sentence. The recidivism risk 

reduction incentive minimum shall be equal to three-fourths 

of the minimum sentence imposed when the minimum 

sentence is three years or less. The recidivism risk 

reduction incentive minimum shall be equal to five-sixths of 

the minimum sentence if the minimum sentence is greater 

than three years. For purposes of these calculations, partial 

days shall be rounded to the nearest whole day. In 

determining the recidivism risk reduction incentive 

minimum sentence, the aggregation provisions of 42 

Pa.C.S. §§ 9757 (relating to consecutive sentences of total 

confinement for multiple offenses) and 9762(f) (relating to 

sentencing proceeding; place of confinement) shall apply 

and the recidivism risk reduction incentive minimum 

sentence shall be recalculated following the aggregation of 

consecutive sentences. An offender determined by the 

court to be ineligible for a recidivism risk reduction incentive 

minimum sentence for any of the sentences subject to 

aggregation shall be ineligible for a recidivism risk reduction 

incentive minimum sentence for the aggregated sentence.

61 Pa.C.S. § 4505(c) (emphasis added).

The sentencing orders reflect that the trial court determined that 

Appellant was RRRI eligible and imposed the minimum and maximum. The 

sentencing orders do not, however, include any reference to the RRRI 

reduction. The aggregate sentence of 27 to 72 months is less than three years 

and therefore a three-fourths reduction applied. See also 61 Pa.C.S. § 4506 
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(establishing that an offender is eligible for parole at the expiration of the RRRI 

minimum sentence). 

Finally, we conclude that this error does not require vacating the

judgment of sentence. While we have not found any case directly on point, in 

Commonwealth v. Morales-Feliciano, No. 1445 MDA 2019, unpublished 

memorandum (Pa. Super. filed May 4, 2021), this Court determined that the 

trial court incorrectly calculated the applicable RRRI reduction by examining 

each individual sentence instead of the aggregate sentence. We concluded 

that the error was amenable to correction as a patent and obvious error. Id.

at *5-6. The error here does not involve a miscalculation of the applicable 

reduction, but the core logic of the error being “based on a non—discretionary 

statutory calculation” likewise applies here. The trial court was required to 

impose a particular sentence based on a formula. We deem MoralesFeliciano persuasive and decline to vacate the judgment of sentence. 

Judgments of sentence affirmed. Remanded for entry of amended 

sentencing order consistent with this memorandum. Jurisdiction relinquished. 

Judgment Entered.

Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.

Prothonotary

Date: 3/07/2023