Nassau County authorities have arrested 61 home improvement contractors accused of operating without a license following a two-month investigation that included nine sting operations.
The suspected unscrupulous contractors—some local, some out-of-towners who came in after Sandy—were involved with 56 different companies and face a combined total of $150,000 worth of fines, authorities said.
“We had one contractor who was knocking on doors collecting money to do Sandy recovery work,” Nassau County Consumer Affairs Commissioner Madalyn Farley told reporters at a news conference Thursday. “He would do a little bit of the work and then move on.”
Police joined forces with Consumer Affairs investigators on the case after receiving an overwhelming amount of complaints of shady contractors from homeowners rebuilding after Sandy.
Some of the suspects have pleaded guilty and $82,000 in fines has been collected to date, officials said. Some contractors also face up to one year in jail while others are accused of more serious crimes.
Nassau County prosecutors said four contractors from Long Island and New York City have been charged with grand larceny for stealing more than $150,000 from homeowners for unfinished improvements.
