Colonia Woman Charged With Sandy-Related Fraud

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Colonia woman was one of four new people charged this week with filing false claims from Superstorm Sandy.

Paula Belotta, 56, of Colonia, allegedly filed fraudulent applications following Sandy for FEMA assistance and a state grant under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP), the state Attorney General's office charges. Belotta allegedly falsely claimed in her applications that a home she owns on Fielder Avenue in Ortley Beach, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was her primary residence when Sandy struck. However, the AG says her primary residence at the time of the storm was in Colonia and the home in Ortley Beach was a seasonal/weekend home.

As a result, she allegedly received $12,270 in relief funds to which she was not entitled: $2,270 from FEMA and a $10,000 RSP grant. She is charged with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

Three others were arrested on similar charges this week: Michael A. Avena, 65, of Wyckoff who allegedly said his Ortley Beach home was his primary residence, and Charles Tuohy, 55, and his wife, Joanne Benzoni, 64, of Tenafly, who allegedly claimed their Manahawkin, beach house was their primary residence.

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has aggressively gone after those the state says committed insurance fraud after Sandy, charging 100 people so far with filing false claims related to the storm.

“Charging 100 defendants in these relief-fraud cases is a sad milestone in that it highlights how many people are willing, in the face of a historic disaster, to dishonestly exploit an offer of aid meant for those who were hardest hit,” said Attorney General Christopher Porrino. "The 100 defendants we have charged were responsible for diverting nearly $6 million in relief funds.”

Photo of Paula Belotta provided by the NJ Attorney General's Office