Unlicensed Contractor Left Families Stranded After Sandy, Prosecutor Says

Monmouth County, NJ - A Pennsylvania man who offered his services as a home improvement contractor to victims of Superstorm Sandy was found guilty last week after he admitted to never registering as a licensed contractor with the state.

Daniel F. Sterling, 43, with an address on Donegal Road in Columbia, Pa. and using his parents' Middletown address, was convicted by a Monmouth County jury following a two-day trial. Sterling subsequently pleaded guilty to a charge of fourth degree Failure to Register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Sterling contracted with two families in Monmouth County to perform recovery work, county prosecutors said. He and his crew did some of the work while waiting for money from the insurance companies to come in, but as time went on, he and his crew started showing up less frequently and eventually disappeared entirely.

The victims were left with unfinished projects, poor quality work, and no insurance money.

After reporting their concerns to the FEMA and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, it was determined that Sterling was never registered to perform home improvements in New Jersey.

There continues to be fall out from unlicensed contractors taking advantage of residents in the wake of Sandy. In 2013, Acting Monmouth County prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni formed a Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force.

There have 345 investigation referrals since the task force was created, and of that number, 24 cases were indicted or resulted in a guilty plea with jail sentences or fines.

Sterling is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 12 and could face a maximum sentence of up to 18 months in state prison. Stock image