Ewing Woman Charged With Superstorm Sandy Fraud Related To Manahawkin Home

A Ewing Township woman filed phony applications to receive FEMA and state grant funds after Superstorm Sandy, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said.

Linda Petersack-Kunz, 56, of Ewing, filed fraudulent applications for FEMA assistance and the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP), he said.

She was one of five residents accused of filing fraudulent documents to obtain fund today.

“We charge that these defendants stole from disaster relief programs and by extension from the victims who were hardest hit by the storm,” said Porrino. “We’ll continue to charge every cheat we identify who diverted funds from these recovery programs and from victims in need.”

Petersack-Kunz has been charged with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

She claimed on her applications that a home on Judy Drive in Manahawkin was her primary residence, when it was solely owned by her husband. Her husband's primary home was in Florida at the time of the storm. Her primary home was in Ewing Township, Porrino said.

Petersack-Kunz received approximately $17,743 in relief funds to which she was not entitled - including $14,923 in SCHRAP funds and $2,820 in FEMA assistance. She also received a $10,000 Resettlement Grant and an SBA loan of $116,300, but she has since repaid those two sums.

Photo: Courtesy of New Jersey Attorney General's Office.