By Forum Staff
Alexander Almaraz, the owner of Design Concepts Group LLC in Freeport, L.I., pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court in Central Islip to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to induce individuals to hire him and pay DCG to repair their Superstorm Sandy-damaged homes.
On Oct. 29, 2012, Sandy struck New York and New Jersey, causing catastrophic damage to low-lying and coastal areas. 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 program.
According to court documents and Almaraz’s own admissions on Thursday, Almaraz entered contracts with homeowners who qualified to receive funds from NYR. As part of these contracts, Almaraz agreed to lift the victims’ homes and set them down on temporary support structures which would permit the foundations of the damaged homes to be removed and new foundations to be installed. After the new foundations were installed, Almaraz was supposed to lower the homes and reconnect the homes’ appliances. Between October 2015 and June 2019, Almaraz agreed to lift the homes of at least 20 customers who had received NYR funding and who collectively paid him approximately $2.5 million. Almaraz convinced many of these victims to move out of their homes and pay him rent to live elsewhere, all the while neglecting their projects and causing greater loss. Additionally, instead of performing the agreed-upon work, Almaraz used the victims’ monies to pay for personal expenses, including credit card bills, land purchased in Kansas City, Missouri, and luxury automobiles, including a Lamborghini, a Porsche and a Jaguar. The defendant’s fraudulent scheme caused more than $1.5 million in losses to NYR and the defendant’s individual victims.
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Between October 2015 and June 2019, Almaraz agreed to lift the homes of at least 20 customers who had received NYR funding and who collectively paid him approximately $2.5 million.
“Today’s plea holds Almaraz accountable for his greedy scheme, and the restitution he will be ordered to pay is a necessary step towards making his victims whole,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
When sentenced, Almaraz faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and mandatory restitution to his victims.
