More New Jersey Homeowners Accused of Sandy Fraud

Two more New Jersey residents face allegations of filing fraudulent applications for Superstorm Sandy aid.

Acting Attorney General John Hoffman says 53-year-old Carol Suto of Clifton and 56-year-old Debra Weigman of Berkeley Township both claimed that storm-damaged homes were their primary residences, which would make them eligible for relief money.

Suto received $31,900 in federal grants, including $2,270 in rental assistance and $29,630 for home repairs. Weigman got $13,373 in federal funds, including $5,553 for personal property damage and $7,820 for rental assistance.

Telephone numbers for the women could not be located Tuesday, and it was not known if either has retained a lawyer. Both could face more than six years in prison if convicted.

Suto claimed her damaged house in Middletown Township was her primary residence, but Hoffman said it was a vacant investment property that she planned to renovate. She was charged with theft by deception and unsworn falsification.

Weigman claimed a home she had leased in Seaside Heights was her primary residence, but Hoffman says she had been evicted two weeks before the storm hit in October 2012 and was no longer living there. She was charged with attempted theft by deception and unsworn falsification.

Eight homeowners overall have now been charged by the state with similar fraud since March.