Contractor gets prison term for defrauding Sandy victims

(AP) - A contractor convicted of scamming dozens of New Jersey homeowners out of nearly $2 million following Superstorm Sandy has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
Jamie Lawson must also pay $1,860,981 in restitution under the sentence imposed Friday.
Lawson had pleaded guilty last October to money laundering and theft charges. But his sentencing had been postponed numerous times since then as he contemplated taking back his guilty plea.
Ocean County prosecutors say the 43-year-old Brick resident moved to New Jersey shortly after Sandy hammered the state in 2012. He soon contracted with dozens of homeowners whose residences were damaged by the storm, then either did little work or none at all.
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