TOMS RIVER -- A contractor charged with bilking homeowners after promising to repair their homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy is facing a new indictment after authorities found more victims in a scam that's reached $1.5 million.
Jamie Lawson
Jamie Lynn Lawson, 42, was initially charged with theft and money laundering related to 14 people who were tricked out of a total of $480,000 but authorities say those numbers are much higher now.
Lawson, owner of Lawson Renovations LLC. and operating under the name J & N Construction, has been a fugitive since his initial indictment on Dec. 14.
Now that more victims have been identified, authorities are renewing their request for information about Lawson's whereabouts, said Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato.
Coronato said his office will be superseding that indictment to include 34 homeowners in Monmouth and Ocean counties who were scammed out of about $1.5 million where Lawson either performed no work or did less than what was specified in the contracts.
Investigators say Lawson used the money to pay for his personal expenses and to buy cars.
After moving to New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, Lawson became a registered contractor in the state based on his claim that he had no previous criminal convictions. But authorities later learned he had been convicted of crimes in North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
Lawson is believed to have been in the following areas since December 2016:
- In Texas - Austin, Dallas, Addison, Denton, Irving Houston and Port Lavaca
- In North Carolina - Rowland, Fairmount and Lumberton
- In South Carolina - Bishopville
- In Tennessee - Greenville
- In Georgia - Siloam
- In Alabama - Livingston
- In Missouri - Sedalia and St. Louis
- In Oklahoma - Tulsa and Quapaw
- In Mississippi - Mendenhall, Brandon, Florence, Jackson and Magee
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted in cooperation with the Brick Police Department, Toms River Police Department, Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
Anyone with information regarding Lawson's whereabouts is asked to contact prosecutor's detective Sgt. Mark Malinowski at 732-929-2027, ext.4032 or the U.S. Marshals Service by e-mail at usms.wanted@usdoj.gov.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.