Sandy scammer sentenced to five-year prison term
A Matawan-based contractor was sentenced to a five-year term in a New Jersey prison for taking deposits from Superstorm Sandy victims and never undertaking work, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.
John Martocci, 59, was sentenced Friday before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge John R. Tassini, J.S.C. on two counts of third degree theft by deception, Gramiccioni said, adding that the sentence will run concurrent to the state prison sentence he is currently serving.
In July, Martocci admitted that he accepted an $1,800 deposit in November 2013 for post-Superstorm Sandy work involving the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) on a Sea Bright home but never started or returned the money, according to Gramiccioni.
In the second incident, he admitted that he accepted a $1,411 deposit in January 2014 from a Howell resident for a new air conditioning condenser but also failed to undertake the project and never returned the money, Gramiccioni said.
Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew S. Fried of the office’s Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau prosecuted the case. He is the coordinator of the Monmouth County Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force.
Homeowners or citizens are urged to report complaints on the Monmouth County Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task website at www.SandyFraud.com or by calling (855) SANDY 39.
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