Assemblyman Goldfeder Calls On Attorney General to Crackdown on Fraudulent Sandy-Contractors

Assemblyman Goldfeder Calls On Attorney General to Crackdown on Fraudulent Sandy-Contractors

(Tuesday, November 12th, 2013) 

In response to rampant cases of fraudulent contractors in the Sandy-devastated neighborhoods of Howard and Hamilton Beach, Broad Channel and Rockaway, Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) has called on State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to conduct an immediate investigation for victims that have fallen prey to contractor’s shoddy and unfinished work.

“Sandy has left many of our families vulnerable to fraud and abuse by unscrupulous contractors who have taken advantage of our community during our most difficult time,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “I am asking Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to work with the appropriate city and state agencies to immediately investigate and hold all contractor’s accountable for their work in our Sandy-damaged communities.”

On October 29, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in the Northeast which left thousands of residents without power or heat—nearly a year later thousands are still struggling to finish repairs from the storm damage. Many have fallen prey to out-of-state and local contractors that have promised to rebuild their homes, but have either left before completing the job or worse—disappeared with the victim’s checks without performing the necessary repairs.

“It’s worse than we ever imagined,” said Dolores Nisbett, resident of Broad Channel and a Sandy-victim. “I made deposits to a licensed contractor for $29,000 to fix the interior of my home and $18,000 for the exterior and he left us with unfinished tiling and poorly installed sheetrock. He destroyed our home and now I have to pay more to hire a new contractor to finish his mess.”

With a wide range of cases coming from residents who have hired licensed and unlicensed contractors, Assemblyman Goldfeder has sent a letter to Attorney General Schneiderman detailing his concerns. Residents who have spent their hard-earned money and savings to rebuild deserve to have the work done as promoted by the contractor, Goldfeder noted in his letter.

“Sandy was an unfortunate disaster, but we need to stay vigilant now more than ever to ensure we make a full recovery,” concluded Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has done a tremendous job holding organizations accountable in the aftermath of Sandy and now we need him to stop these con artists before they come into our homes and take off with our families’ hard earned money and savings.”