A 42-year-old Stafford Township man was sentenced to three years in state prison for skipping out on a Superstorm Sandy reconstruction job - even though he collected the payment, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
On Friday, Edward Palmer of Cedar Run was sentenced on one count of theft by deception, a third degree charge carrying a maximum term of incarceration of up to five years.
The sentencing stems from an incident on October 31, 2012, two days after Hurricane Sandy, when Palmer was contracted by a Stafford Township resident to provide tree removal services for a tree leaning on the victim’s house, according to the prosecutor's office.
The victim paid Palmer in full but the defendant failed to return the next day to perform the work, although he cashed the homeowner’s check. At the sentencing Palmer provided restitution in full and was sentenced to three years in New Jersey State Prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Ian Goldman.
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