Little Silver Man Charged with Sandy Insurance Fraud

A Little Silver man was charged after he allegedly filed a fraudulent insurance claim for property damages related to Superstorm Sandy, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced.

Farouk Soliman, 73, was charged with second-degree insurance fraud and third-degree attempted theft by deception Monday.

"Given the impact Superstorm Sandy had on the lives of New Jersey residents, we will not allow deceitful opportunists to take advantage of this crisis and add to the economic harm suffered by the State and its residents," Hoffman said in a news release. 

Soliman allegedly submitted a claim to Pacific Specialty Insurance Company in November 2012 for a barn he said was destroyed during the hurricane after a tree fell on it, the release said.

An investigation by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor found that the barn had not been damaged by the storm. The local municipality actually condemned the barn as being structurally unsafe in February 2012.

Soliman allegedly submitted the fraudulent insurance claim in an effort to recoup the $5,500 cost of hiring a local demolition firm to raze the barn, the news release said.

"Thousands of homeowners legitimately need funding available to them to rebuild their homes and properties in the wake of Superstorm Sandy," Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi said in the release. "The Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor will continue to work hand-in-hand with insurance companies to identify fraudulent insurance claims so that valuable resources are not diverted for illegal purposes."

Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree crimes carry a maximum of five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.