Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that George LaRosa, 50, of Barnegat, was sentenced today by the Honorable Michael T. Collins, J.S.C., to three years New Jersey State Prison as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition.
Additionally, Judge Collins ordered that LaRosa pay restitution to his victims totaling $456,650. LaRosa pled guilty to this charge on September 16, 2019.
Officials say following Superstorm Sandy, LaRosa, the owner/operator of GL Construction, entered into contracts with nineteen homeowners throughout Stafford Township, Lacey Township, Toms River Township, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, and Little Egg Harbor. To repair their homes that had been ravaged by the storm.
These contracts were entered into between February 2014 and June 2015. Rather than making the contractually agreed-upon repairs, LaRosa converted the vast majority of the monies paid to him by the homeowners to his personal use, closed his business, and abandoned the homeowners in various stages of disrepair according to officials.