Richard Griffin, Frank Gillette, Mail Fraud and Conspiracy, New York 2012

Two men charged with mail fraud and conspiracy in connection with Hurricane Sandy cleanup efforts in New York City have been taken into federal custody.

RICHARD GRIFFIN, 45, of Staten Island, and FRANK GILLETTE, 48, of Brooklyn, were charged with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a scheme to defraud the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) of over $80,000 in connection with cleanup efforts after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

According to the indictment, GRIFFIN and GILLETTE, who owned and operated subcontractors hired to assist a vendor in Hurricane Sandy debris removal efforts, submitted and caused to be submitted fraudulent Time Certificates to DSNY, which purported to show debris removal that was not performed. The scheme resulted in the defendants obtaining over $80,000 in fraudulent payments from DSNY through one of the vendors.

The defendants were taken into federal custody this morning and will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses later today. The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.

Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast in October 2012, caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and killed at least 160 people. The storm left lower Manhattan underwater and without power, and the New York City Department of Sanitation contracted with private vendors to remove over 280,000 cubic yards of debris left on the roadways and rights-of-way throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursed DSNY for 90% of the cost of the debris removal performed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The maximum potential sentence for the defendants is 20 years in prison, and they face fines of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greater.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-men-charged-fraud-connection-hurricane-sandy-cleanup