Hoffman distributes recovered funds to Superstorm Sandy charities

NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - New Jersey Acting Attorney General John Hoffman announced on Tuesday that donations previously made to an unregistered charity whose principals allegedly misled donors were distributed to legitimate Superstorm Sandy charities.

The Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation and its principals, Christina Terraccino and John Sandberg, allegedly violated the Charitable Registration and Investigations Act, Charities Regulations and Consumer Fraud Act by operating an unregistered charity, misrepresenting that donations were tax-deductible and diverting donated funds into personal accounts. The state reached a settlement in June with HSRF in which a court-appointed organization administrator took control of the charity and its financial accounts.

"In response to the suffering caused by Superstorm Sandy, donors flocked to this organization in the hope that their money would help storm victims and repair damaged communities," Hoffman said. "Today, thanks to our investigation and enforcement action, we are ensuring that their charitable good intentions are being carried out."

A total of $225,000 was distributed last week to four registered charitable organizations in New Jersey and one registered charitable organization in the state of New York. The organizations were chosen based on proposals to use the money to help Sandy victims.

An additional $100,000 remains under review for distribution in the near future.