Stafford Contractor Among 2 Charged With Sandy Repair Fraud: OCPO

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A Manahawkin man was among two contractors charged Wednesday with misusing money designated for Superstorm Sandy repairs, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced. Both men misappropriated over $2 million for personal use and did little to no work on victims' homes, the OCPO said.

Jonathan Price, of Manahawkin, and Scott Cowan, of Demarest, were charged with secend-degree theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, according to officials. Price and Cowan owned the now-defunct Price Home Group, LLC, the OCPO said.

They 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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