BREEZY POINT — A contractor scammed homeless Hurricane Sandy victims out of more than $175,000, using some of the money at restaurants and liquor stores instead of rebuilding homes, according to the Queens DA.
Andrew L. Troiano, 51, of Maple Grove, New York, and his company, Alt Design and Construction Consulting, Inc., allegedly took payments from three families in Breezy Point and Roxbury, who were looking to rebuild after the 2012 storm.
Troiano and his company specialized in modular homes, which became popular after the storm throughout many ravaged communities because of the apparent ease for rebuilding, officials said.
One family, whose home on Graham Place was flooded by Hurricane Sandy, hired Alt Design and Construction as their contractor in July 2013 to help them build a modular home, the DA said.
In March 2014 they paid the company $63,750 to then pay a subcontractor, local company Malbro Construction, to put a foundation down at their lot.
Malbro Construction only received $13,000 from Alt Design, the DA said, despite doing the work. To this day, they still haven’t received all of their payment, according to the charges.
Another family on Fulton Walk — whose home was burned the night of the storm — paid Troiano $58,5000 to begin work on a modular home at their lot in 2014.
Like they did with the home on Graham Place, Alt Design hired Malbro Construction to put down a foundation and prepare it for the modular home — but never paid them, according to the DA.
The company similarly conned another family on Hillside Avenue in neighboring Roxbury, the DA said, paying Alt Design $55,000 to order a new modular home.
Troiano instead used more than $8,000 from that money to pay attorneys, Verizon Wireless and Cablevision bills, Goodyear Auto and purchases at liquor stores and restaurants, according to the DA.
Alt Design and Construction had never previously worked on homes in the co-operative, according to an official.
Troiano, who had offices in West Hempstead and Fort Lauderdale, came through after the devastating storm and was an “unscrupulous contractor” who preyed on victims, according to DA Richard Brown.
“The defendants are accused of ripping off homeowners who lost their homes and virtually all their material possessions and had turned to the defendants for help in rebuilding their lives,” he said.
He and his company were charged separately Wednesday night on fraud and grand larceny charges. Troiano faces up to 15 years in prison and his corporation can be fined up to $10,000 or double what was allegedly taken, the DA said.
