Florida Man Charged With Scamming Superstorm Sandy Funds: State AG's Office

A Florida man who claimed his Long Branch home was his primary residence during Superstorm Sandy walked away with $179,099 in illegally-obtained relief funds, New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino said.

Edward Barlotta, 65, of Cape Coral, Fla., filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP), the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program, and the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP), Porrino said.

He was one of five New Jersey residents accused of filing fraudulent documents to obtain funds recently.

“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.”

Barlotta claimed in his applications that a Sandy-damaged home he owns on Beach Avenue was his primary residence, when he lived in Florida at the time of the storm. The Long Branch home was a secondary seasonal home.

As a result of the fraudulent applications, Barlotta received $2,270 from FEMA, a $10,000 RSP grant, RREM grant funds totaling $150,000, and approximately $8,829 in SHRAP funds. Barlotta is charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

Photo: New Jersey State Attorney General's Office