Four people were arrested and charged Wednesday with defrauding the city’s Build it Back hurricane recovery program of $300,000 in disaster relief funds, the Department of Investigation announced.
Authorities said three of the accused — John Holl, John Phelan and George Bonitsis — attempted to secure funding for secondary residences in Breezy Point.
Only primary homes were eligible.
A fourth defendant, Donata Rea was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument for attempting to assume ownership of two homes owned by a Queens woman who died in 2011.
“The defendants are accused of using one of the worst natural disasters to ever strike New York in recent history to unjustly enrich themselves by applying for public funds to which they were not entitled,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
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