TRENTON – A Brick man has been charged with filing a fraudulent application for Superstorm Sandy relief, the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office said.
Shawn T. Conlon, 39, is one of four new defendants charged in connection with Sandy fraud. To date, that makes 125 people charged since March 2014 in relation to $8 million in relief funds fraud.
Conlon, charged with second-degree theft by deception, allegedly filed a fraudulent application for a state grant under the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program. The State alleges he received $136,572 in RREM grant funds he was not entitled to. Conlon allegedly claimed his Adair Drive rental property was his primary residence. The home was damaged by the hurricane but was not his primary residence at the time Sandy struck.
He faces 5-10 years in state prison and a fine up to $150,000 if convicted.
His attorney is Nicholas A. Moschella Jr., Esq., in Point Pleasant.
“Any fraud against public assistance programs is deplorable, but these thefts were especially egregious because they diverted funds intended for victims left homeless by one of the most devastating storms in New Jersey history,” Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. “We have recovered well over $2 million through these prosecutions and we also have sent a strong message that should deter this type of fraud during future disaster relief efforts.”
Carmine Fusco, 50, and Lauri Fusco, 50, both from East Hanover, and Zakir Hossain, 47, of Atlantic City, were also charged with theft by deception complaints.
