Superstorm home contractor convicted for failing to register

A Pennsylvania home improvement specialist originally accused of failing to finish Superstorm Sandy repairs on two Monmouth homes took his chances at trial on another charge, and lost.

Daniel F. Sterling, 43, was convicted of a fourth-degree charge of failing to register with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, after a two-day trial in Freehold, according to acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni. He then pleaded guilty to an identical count in a separate indictment.

Sterling risks as many as 18 months in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for August 12 in Freehold.

Convictions against contractors have been rare. Gramiccioni's Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force has fielded 345 complaints since its inception in February 2013. The task force has seven criminal investigations pending, and five are in the hands of DCA.

Twenty-four cases led to either indictments or guilty pleas, with subsequent sentences or fines. No criminal charges ensued in 140 cases, and 115 more were referred to DCA or related agencies.

Prosecutors said that Sterling, using his parents' Middletown address, contracted with two families and organized a crew, completing some work while waiting for insurance money to arrive.

Their appearances for work became less frequent over time, and eventually stopped altogether, leaving both home owners with partly-finished projects, subpar quality work and no insurance money, authorities said.

They reported the chain of events to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Prosecutor's Office, after which investigators concluded that Sterling wasn't registered in the state.

Monmouth Assistant Prosecutor Martha Nye led the case for the county. Sterling was represented by attorney Christopher Campbell of Wall Township.