Sandy Scammer Sentenced To Weekend-Only Jail Time

LONG ISLAND, NY - A home improvement contractor from Smithtown was sentenced on Thursday to 45 days in jail, to be served on weekends and five years’ probation, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Lee Moser, 50, who pleaded guilty to the charges in June, also paid $50,000 that will be returned to the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery.

If he did not pay the restitution, he could have been sentenced to one year in jail.

Moser was charged with third degree grand larceny and first degree scheme to defraud.

New York Rising is the state program that assists homeowners impacted by natural disasters.

The homeowners received the money from New York Rising to rehabilitate their homes after Superstorm Sandy damaged them and has already reimbursed the victims.

Between April 2015 and August 2016, Moser signed contracts with five Nassau County homeowners to perform work on their homes that were severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy.

Related:

• Smithtown Man To Pay $30K For Sandy Contracting Scam: DA
• Contractor Pleads Guilty To Scamming Sandy Victims: DA

In most of the cases, the complainants wrote him a down payment check, with New York Rising funds, made payable to his business, Capstone Remodeling.

Instead of performing the work as promised, Moser provided excuses as to why the work had not started, including that he was in the hospital or caring for his sick mother.

In total, he stole $113,485 from the complainants which he spent on gasoline, restaurants, telephone service and other expenditures to continue running his business unrelated to the homeowners’ respective contracts.

The Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs sent complaints from the five victims to the DA between June 2016 and April 2017 and an investigation immediately began.

“Cases like these are especially outrageous because homeowners were victimized first by Superstorm Sandy, and again by their contractor,” Singas said. “[Moser] stole from relief funds that were the lifeline victims needed to rebuild their homes and lives. I am grateful to the Department of Consumer Affairs for bringing this matter to our office, and to our Financial Crimes Bureau for their work bringing this defendant to justice.”

Moser was also charged by the Suffolk County District Attorney to pay over $30,000 in restitution for misappropriating state funds.

Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory released the following statement regarding the sentencing:

“Justice has finally been served for victims of this fraudulent contractor who took advantage of people at one of the most difficult times of their lives after suffering irreparable loss of their homes and possessions due to Superstorm Sandy. While the outcome of this particular case will not undo the harm that was inflicted, it sends a powerful message that we will not be bystanders to this unconscionable behavior. My office received complaints about this contractor from constituents as well as Nassau residents, and I brought those complaints to the district attorney and consumer affairs. Those complaints were a strong motivator in leading me to create the Sandy Recovery Task Force. I will continue to work with the task force and state legislators to strengthen protections from unscrupulous contractors to ensure that our residents are safeguarded during their most vulnerable moments.”

Image via NCDA