Nassau: 61 unlicensed contractors nabbed in Sandy sting
From left, Nassau County Police Department First Deputy Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter, Nassau County Consumer Affairs Commissioner Madalyn Farley, and Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, at a news conference about a sting operation involving contractors. (June 27, 2013) Credit: Barry Sloan
Nassau County authorities on Thursday announced the arrests of 61 unlicensed home improvement contractors accused of targeting superstorm Sandy victims.
Officials said they received more than 100 complaints from Sandy victims who were taken advantage of by contractors, leading Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano to order a "sting operation" in Franklin Square, Valley Stream and the South Shore area, Mangano said at a news conference.
Nassau police working with the county's office of consumer affairs also seized more than 50 work vehicles and issued a total of $150,000 in fines as part of their investigation, Mangano said.
Officials released the names of those arrested and their company affiliations, but offered few additional details regarding the alleged crimes.
All are charged with operating without a county home improvement license, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and 1 year in jail.
Some have already pleaded guilty following the arrests, which happened in May and June, officials said.
Names of lawyers for the defendants were not immediately available.
Nassau authorities released this partial list of those arrested:
Robert Freudiger
Nicholas Alliegro
Oscar Iglesias
Robert Maffia
Tahir Mehmood (ST@Sons General Construction)
Miguel Chavez (Michael General Construction)
Michael Simone (Global Environmental Restoration)
John Derek DeMetro (Roofers United)
David Salguero (Prado Home Improvements)
Darren Confessore (Alfon Interiors Plus)
Yizhar Damari (EZ Carpet Service)
Spyridon Mouzakitis (GR Construction Design)
Michael Them (American Paving & Masonry Corp.)
Jonathan Zino (Local Services Inc.)
Yaakov Yeshaya Fulda (Majestic Mouldings)
Michael Vitelli (Best Yet Maintenance Services)
Louis P. Recco (Lou Recco Painting)
Avraham Kardi (ASAP Restoration Inc.)
Yaron S. Shamua (Perfect Marble Restoration)
Michael McCormick (Mack Restoration Inc.)
Edgar Aguilar
Edward Motto (Eddie's Do It Right Powerwashing)
Stanley Eli (Eli & Sons Roofing)
Paul Monserrat (Rescue Plumbing & Heating)
Gurpreet Singh (Bawa Construction)
Byong Lee (Elise Development)
Shaki Zada (Abdali Enterprises)
Jose Pandashina (Patriota General Construction)
Mohammad Ghumman (GS Contracting of NY Corp.)
David Escalante (Top Hat Chimney Cleaning & Masonry)
Paul O'Connor (Ireland's Own Construction)
Ali Raza (Parada General Construction)
Joseph Noto (Poorman Tree Service)
John DeBatto (For Dad Construction of LI Inc.)
Juan Pablo Lemus (New Millennium)
Rajnarine Mohabir (Tristate Wood Floors Inc.)
John D. Joyce (John J. Contracting Inc.)
Christopher Guthrie (Wholesale Flooring)
Timothy O'Farrell (Handyman Construction)
Bruce M. Vader
Ermen D. Lopez (FKJ Enterprises)
Felix A. Cruz Jr. (Easy Living Disaster Restoration)
Todd J. Boehm (Boehmhome Heating Plus Inc.)
Barry Minsky (Night Restoration Corp.)
Daniel J. Smith (Dan's Home Repairs)
Philip Wischerth
Ralph Rizzo (Ralph Rizzo Building)
Paul Mazzarese Jr. (Mazzarese Construction)
Christopher Guthrie (Level Flooring)
Scott Andrew Campos Ponte (JCV Painting)
Ali Arnez
Noam Dror (DR Garage Doors)
John Esposito (A1 Plumbing & Heating)
Alfred P. Lakas (Al's Heating Service)
With Fausto Giovanny Pinto
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