Ex-Hoboken Cop Gets 5 Years In Jail For Superstorm Sandy Fraud

HOBOKEN, NJ — A former Hoboken police officer will serve five years in state prison after he stole $187,000 by making phony applications for federal relief funds related to Superstorm Sandy. His wife, who was also convicted for her role in the scam, was sentenced to probation and community service, prosecutors announced Monday.

Nikola Lulaj, 45, of Seaside Heights and formerly of Dumont, forfeited his job as an officer with the Hoboken Police Department as a result of his conviction in October, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (NJOAG).

Nikola Lulaj’s wife, Majlinda Lulaj, 32, was sentenced to three years of probation, conditioned upon completion of 50 hours of community service, prosecutors said.

Both were ordered to pay full restitution. The husband and wife were found guilty on Oct. 25 by an Ocean County jury of charges of second-degree conspiracy, second-degree theft by deception, and six counts of fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

Prosecutors released the following details about the case on Monday:

“The state presented testimony and evidence at trial that Nikola and Majlinda Lulaj filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance, a low-interest SBA disaster-relief loan, 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) funded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services. As a result, they received a total of approximately $187,074 in relief funds.”

Prosecutors continued:

“The couple falsely claimed in their applications that a home they own on Webster Avenue in Seaside Heights, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was their primary residence at the time Sandy struck. In fact, their primary residence was in Dumont, N.J. They have since moved to the house in Seaside Heights, but at the time of the storm, it was a vacation/rental property. As a result of the alleged fraudulent applications, Nikola and Majlinda Lulaj received $2,820 from FEMA, $90,200 in SBA loan proceeds, a $69,054 RREM grant, a $10,000 RSP grant, and a $15,000 SHRAP grant.”

Prosecutors said that the NJOAG has charged more than 120 defendants with fraud related to Sandy relief programs. The defendants were allegedly responsible for diverting more than $8 million in relief funds.

Most of the cases involve “primary residence fraud” of the type committed by Nikola and Majlinda Lulaj, prosecutors said.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Hoboken Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock