Ramsey Man Charged With Superstorm Sandy Fraud: AG

RAMSEY, NJ — A borough man has been charged with theft after he allegedly received more than $137,000 in Superstorm Sandy relief funds he was not entitled to, Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced Thursday.

Thomas Dooney, 65, allegedly filed fraudulent applications for federal assistance and state grants following Superstorm Sandy, Porrino said.

Dooney allegedly falsely claimed in his applications that a Brick home he owns that was damaged by Superstorm Sandy was his primary home when the storm hit New Jersey, the attorney general said.

Dooney's primary home was in Ramsey and the home in Brick was a weekend home, Porrino said.

Dooney was charged with second-degree theft by deception and attempted theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification, he said.

Four others were also charged with filing false applications. Since March 2014, 96 people have been criminally charged with filing false applications.

“We’ll continue to charge every cheat we identify who diverted funds from these recovery programs and from victims in need," Porrino said in a news release.

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Photo: Thomas Dooney, 65/Office of the Attorney General