Colonia Woman Charged with Falsely Claiming Sandy Relief Money

Colonia, NJ - A Colonia woman is one of five more people caught with her hand in the Superstorm Sandy cookie jar, state prosecutors say.

Juli Schaber, 58, of Colonia was charged by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Thursday for filing several deceptive applications for relief money related to Superstorm Sandy.

So far, the AG’s office has filed criminal charges against 50 New Jersey residents for this type of fraud, mostly where the defendants falsely claim that beach houses damaged by Sandy were their primary residence, in order to collect more relief aid, prosecutors say.

Schaber allegedly falsely claimed that a storm-damaged property she owns on Eisenhower Avenue in Ortley Beach was her primary residence when Sandy hit. But in reality, Schaber’s primary residence is in Edison at the time of the storm, and the property in Ortley Beach is a vacation home, prosecutors say.

Schaber applied for FEMA assistance, state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program and state assistance from the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program.

She received a total of $128,313, prosecutors say. Part of that was $75,000 in construction funds from a grant under the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program. She is charged with second-degree theft by deception, among other charges.