Sandy Contractor Jailed For Fraud

STAFFORD – A contractor who got paid for work he never did was sentenced to jail and will have to pay more than half a million dollars in restitution.

Adam Nevius, 49, of Manahawkin, was sentenced to five years in a New Jersey State Prison for Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition. Judge Ryan also ordered Nevius to pay $594,607.25 in restitution to his victims.

As co-owner of Coastal Restorations of New Jersey, LLC, between September 1, 2014 and June 16, 2017, Nevius entered into contracts with at least 17 homeowners and two sub-contractors for repairs on homes, most of which were damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

Coastal Restoration did little to no work on the homes. Instead, Nevius utilized the funds for his own personal benefit.

Nevius was arrested without incident on April 2, 2019 and released due to New Jersey Bail Reform. His original sentencing date was supposed to be August 25, 2023, but he didn’t show up. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was taken into custody on March 14, 2024 in Lafayette, Indiana. He was extradited to New Jersey and has been in jail ever since.

His wife, Kimberly Atkinson, 55, of Manahawkin was co-owner of Coastal Restorations and as such faced similar charges. However, when Nevius pleaded guilty, he exonerated his wife of any wrongdoing and the charges against her were dropped.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler and Assistant Prosecutor Taylor Toscano who handled the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs, Stafford Township Police, Ship Bottom Police, Long Beach Police, Surf City Heights Police, and Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department, Lafayette, Indiana for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Nevius’ guilty plea, and now his state prison sentence.