North Jersey Residents Charged With Sandy Fraud In Little Egg

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ - The state Attorney General's Office recently charged five more people with filing phony applications for Superstorm Sandy federal relief funds, including two North Jersey residents who claimed their Little Egg Harbor houses were their primary homes.

The latest five charged bring the total number to 109 residents who received a total of over $6 million in funds since March 2014.

“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,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “We have recovered 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.”

David Silva, 64, of Little Egg Harbor Township, has been charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification. He received roughly $177,225 in funds he was not entitled to after he filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program, the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program, and the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program. Silva claimed his Spinnaker Drive home in Little Egg was his primary home when the storm hit on Oct. 29, 2012.

But his primary home was in Edison. The Little Egg Harbor home was a vacation home, the state alleges. Silva received $5,090 from FEMA, a $10,000 RSP grant, RREM grant funds totaling $150,000, and $12,135 in SHRAP funds, according to the Attorney General's Office..,

Appolonia DiPiazza, 53, of Lodi received $125,159 in relief funds after she filed fraudulent applications for FEMA assistance and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP) and the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program.

The state alleges DiPiazza falsely claimed in her applications that a Sandy-damaged home she owns on East Mohawk Avenue in Little Egg Harbor Township was her primary residence at the time Sandy struck. Her primary home was actually in Lodi. The Egg Harbor Township home as a vacation home, according to the complaint.

As a result of the alleged fraudulent applications, DiPiazza received $2,270 from FEMA, $112,889 in RREM grant funds, and a $10,000 RSP grant. DiPiazza is charged with second-degree theft by deception.

“DCA remains committed to pursuing people who steal Sandy recovery funds for their own personal gain,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, DCA Commissioner. “This ensures that taxpayer dollars are going to Sandy survivors who legitimately qualify for assistance.”

The 109 people charged by the Attorney General’s Office were allegedly responsible for diverting over $6 million in relief funds. The office is continuing its aggressive efforts to investigate fraud in Sandy relief programs, working jointly with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and the Offices of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Also assisting the task force is the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller, New Jersey Department of the Treasury Office of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the non-profit National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

Photos: Courtesy of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office