Chesco Woman Charged With Fraudulent Claims Over Superstorm Sandy

A Chester County woman has been arrested after allegedly filing fraudulent applications for relief due to damages incurred during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Glenmoore's Mary Eileen Adams, 63, of Glenmoore, allegedly filed fraudulent applications for FEMA assistance and state grants, ultimately receiving approximately $31,949 in relief funds, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. She is one of five individuals who were charged with Sandy-related fraud on Wednesday.

Since March 2014, criminal charges have been filed against 76 people for allegedly engaging in this type of fraud, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said.

“We charge that these defendants stole from disaster relief programs and by extension from the victims who were hardest hit by the storm,” said Attorney General Porrino. “We’ll continue to charge every cheat we identify who diverted funds from these recovery programs and from victims in need.”

Adams falsely claimed damages for a home she owns on Atlantic Avenue in Beach Haven, Long Beach Township, New Jersey. She claimed at the time that it was her primary residence, even though it was only a vacation home and rental property.

Adams is charged with second-degree attempted theft by deception, third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

Patch file photo.