Sayreville Woman Charged With Sandy Fraud

SAYREVILLE, NJ — A Sayreville woman was one of five more people arrested Thursday and charged with lying to the federal government and insurers so she could fraudulently collect insurance payouts from Hurricane Sandy.

Joan Galetta, 74, of Sayreville, allegedly filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance and a state grant under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP), the New Jersey Attorney General's Office charges.

As a result, she allegedly received approximately $19,969 in relief funds to which she was not entitled. Galetta allegedly falsely claimed in her applications that a home she owns on 24th Avenue in Seaside Park, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was her primary residence when Sandy struck. But in reality, her primary residence at the time of the storm was in Sayreville and the Seaside Park home was a secondary weekend/vacation home, federal prosecutors say.

As a result of the alleged fraudulent applications, Galetta received approximately $9,969 from FEMA and a $10,000 RSP grant.

She is charged with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification. Since March 2014, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has filed criminal charges against 96 people for allegedly engaging in Superstorm Sandy fraud.

The defendants are alleged, in most cases, to have filed fraudulent applications for relief funds offered by the FEMA. In many cases, they also applied for funds from a Sandy relief program funded by HUD, low-interest disaster loans from the SBA, or funds from HHS. The HUD funds are administered in New Jersey by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the HHS funds are administered by the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

Photo of Galleta provided by the NJ Attorney General's office.