Stafford Contractor Among 2 Indicted For Sandy Repair Theft: OCPO

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A Manahawkin man was among two contractors who were indicted by an Ocean County grand jury on charges they misappropriated over $2 million designated for Superstorm Sandy repairs, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday.

Jonathan Price, 43, of Manahawkin, and Scott Cowan, 58, of Demarest, were indicted on 18 counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of property received. Both men misappropriated over $2 million for personal use and did little to no work on victims' homes, the OCPO said.

An extensive investigation by Detectives from the OCPO's Economic Crimes Unit revealed that Price and Cowan established Price Home Group, LLC, in February 2013 in Superstorm Sandy's aftermath. They entered contracts with 31 homeowners and one subcontractor from May 2013 through September 2015, the OCPO said. They operated in several towns throughout Ocean and Atlantic Counties, officials said.

The Stafford Township Police Department, Little Egg Harbor Police Department, Toms River Township Police Department, Long Beach Township Police Department, Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs assisted the OCPO Economic Crimes Unit in the investigation.

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