Politics & Government
Sandy Contractor From Brick Who Stole $1.8M Gets 10-Year Sentence
Jamie Lynn Lawson, who had prior convictions in similar fraud in other states, could be eligible for parole in 2-1/2 years. a report said.
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A home improvement contractor who admitted taking more than $1.8 million from homeowners victimized by Superstorm Sandy has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
James "Jamie" Lynn Lawson, 43, was sentenced Friday by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels, the Asbury Park Press reported. Daniels ordered Lawson to serve at least 3½ years in prison before he can become eligible for parole, the report said. He will receive credit for 400 days he has spent in the Ocean County Jail and could be considered for release in less than 2½ years, the report said.
Lawson and his company, Lawson Renovations LLC, which did business as J & N Construction, had been hired by dozens of homeowners in Ocean and Monmouth counties to repair the damage from Sandy and in many cases raise their homes.
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He was initially indicted in December 2016 on charges of defrauding 14 people but fled the state. Lawson was indicted in March in a superseding indictment on charges he took money from 34 people. All of the victims were named in the indictment to ensure they would be eligible for further assistance under the RREM (Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation) program.
In the final plea, he admitted to stealing funds from 41 homeowners.
Find out what's happening in Brickfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Lawson was arrested in June 2017 at an extended stay hotel in Florence, South Carolina, by U.S. Marshals.
Lawson moved to New Jersey shortly after Superstorm Sandy and applied to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs to be registered as a home improvement contractor. The state registered Lawson based upon his material misrepresentations on the application, including his failure to disclose his prior criminal convictions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
Some of his victims appeared and spoke at the sentencing, criticizing the possibility that he could be paroled in as little as 2-1/2 years. Read more of that report here.
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Jamie Lynn Lawson photo via Ocean County Corrections Department
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