A New Jersey home improvement contractor has been arrested after prosecutors allege he failed to begin building a new home for a Sandy victim despite taking more than $100,000 for the job.
Prosecutors said Edward Capriani, 43, received $120,000 to build a new home for the Union Beach homeowner whose house was destroyed by the storm.
Capriani, who was doing business under the name “Edward Wohanka,” allegedly entered into a contract with the Union Beach homeowner in November 2013 to build the home at a cost of $225,000.
Prosecutors said Capriani, who is from Hazlet, received several payments through December 2013 and June 2014 that totaled $120,000. He allegedly cashed all of the checks without breaking ground on the project and did not return any of the money.
Meanwhile, Capriani's attorney said the case was not what it appeared to be.
"There's a lot more to it," attorney Steve Nelson said. "I think my guy will be okay by the end of it."
Capriani is charged with one count of second-degree theft and faces up to 10 years in prison. He is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $150,000 bail.
