Sandy contractor admits to stealing nearly $500K from homeowners

An Ocean County man has admitted to ripping off 19 homeowners in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, for a total of nearly half a million dollars.

George LaRosa, 50, of Barnegat, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of theft by deception.

LaRosa is expected to get three years in state prison when he is sentenced on January 24, 2020.

As a condition of his plea, he also must pay back $456,650 to his victims, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

Following the fierce 2012 storm, LaRosa entered into contracts to repair homes throughout Stafford, Lacey, Toms River, Long Beach, Ship Bottom and Little Egg Harbor.

LaRosa instead stole the money for his own personal use, before closing his business and leaving homeowners in various stages of disrepair, Billhimer said.

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