Freeport Contractor Charged In Fraud Scheme For Rebuilding From Sandy

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Freeport contractor has been charged in a 20-count indictment connected to a Hurricane Sandy scheme.

Alexander Almaraz, the owner of Designer Concepts Group LLC, faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and attempted wire fraud for inducing homeowners to hire him to lift their Sandy-damaged homes, the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District said.

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the defendant took advantage of distressed homeowners who were desperate to rebuild their homes and their lives," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. "The criminal charges announced today demonstrate that despite the passage of time, this Office and our law enforcement partners will prosecute fraudsters who prey on disaster victims and use government relief programs as a piggy bank to enrich themselves."

Almaraz is due to be arraigned on Thursday in federal court in Central Islip.

"For nearly four years, this contractor allegedly promised families that he’d repair their homes, but instead he used disaster relief money to buy exotic sports cars and property in another state," Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly said.

The indictment alleges that Almaraz entered into contracts—alternatively as the owner of DCG and fraudulently posing as the owner of a different company—with homeowners who qualified to receive funds from New York Rising.

As part of these contracts, Almaraz agreed to lift the victims’ homes and set them down on a temporary support structure, which allowed the demolition of the foundation.

Between October 2015 and June 2019, prosecutors said, Almaraz agreed to lift the homes of at least 20 customers that had received New York Rising funding and who collectively paid him approximately $2.5 million.

The 55-year-old Almaraz, who lived in Freeport at the time, has since moved to California.