A Long Island contractor chose luxury cars over lifting homes, scamming Hurricane Sandy victims out of millions while they waited for repairs that never came. Alexander Almaraz, 56, formerly of Freeport, pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud, admitting that he siphoned off more than $1.5 million meant for storm recovery to fund his lavish lifestyle—including a Lamborghini, a Porsche, and a Jaguar.
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck, causing catastrophic damage to low-lying and coastal areas, including many neighborhoods on Long Island. New York residents whose homes were damaged were eligible to receive funding from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery through the New York Rising (NYR) program. According to court documents and Almaraz’s own admissions today, Almaraz entered contracts with homeowners who qualified to receive funds from NYR.
Almaraz, who owned Design Concepts Group LLC, promised to repair at least 20 homes damaged by the devastating 2012 hurricane. Instead of lifting homes and installing new foundations, he used the funds to pay off credit cards and purchase land in Kansas City, Missouri. Meanwhile, his victims, who had entrusted him with their Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery funds, were left living in rental homes, often paying out of pocket while their properties remained in disrepair.
Between 2015 and 2019, Almaraz neglected his projects, racking up millions in fraudulent expenses while extending the suffering of families already hit hard by the storm. He now faces up to 30 years in prison and will be required to pay restitution to the victims he left in financial ruin.
“This defendant took advantage of vulnerable Long Island homeowners at a time of unimaginable loss, purchasing luxury cars and paying off credit cards with funds meant to repair their storm-damaged homes after Hurricane Sandy battered our shores,” said Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
For those Long Islanders still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt, Almaraz’s guilty plea offers a shred of justice as he heads toward sentencing in what officials described as an unconscionable scheme to exploit a community at its most vulnerable.
Photo by Hasan Ma’ruf.
