Sandy contractor who bilked customers convicted of not registering in N.J.

Authorities say Daniel Sterling, who was not registered to work in New Jersey, took victims' money to fix their homes after Hurricane Sandy but didn't complete the work.

FREEHOLD -- A Pennsylvania man who claimed to be a home improvement contractor to victims of Hurricane Sandy has been convicted of failing to register his services with the state, officials said on Tuesday.

After a two-day trial in Freehold last week, a jury found Daniel F. Sterling, 43, of failure to register as a home improvement contractor with the state division of consumer affairs, said acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.

Sterling lives in Columbia, Pa., but was using his parents' home address in Middletown for business he was doing in New Jersey after the 2012 hurricane, Gramiccioni said.

The charge is a fourth-degree offense, punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

After his conviction, Sterling pleaded guilty to an identical charge under a separate indictment, the acting prosecutor said.

In the aftermath of Sandy, Sterling contracted with two families in Monmouth County to perform recovery work, Gramiccioni said. He said Sterling and his crew did some work while waiting for the victims to get their insurance money, but as time passed Sterling and his crew worked less frequently until they eventually stopped altogether without completing the jobs, the acting prosecutor said.

Sandy-related contractor complaints piling up

The victims, the acting prosecutor said, were left with unfinished projects, poor quality work, and no insurance money. After the victims reported their concerns to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, authorities determined Sterling had never registered to perform home improvements in New Jersey.

The prosecutor's Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force has received 345 investigation referrals since the unit was formed in February 2013.

Of those, 24 cases were indicted or resulted in guilty pleas carrying jail sentences or fine. Another 140 cases were closed with no criminal charges and 115 cases were referred to other agencies such as the county or state divisions of consumer affairs. 

There are still seven active criminal investigations pending with the prosecutor's office and five other cases pending with the state Division of Consumer Affairs, Gramiccioni said.

Sterling is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 12, before Monmouth Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, when he could face a maximum sentence of up to 18 months in state prison.