Engineering Company Charged In Insurance Scheme After Hurricane Sandy

A Long Island engineering company and one of its former executives were charged on Monday in a scheme to minimize insurance payments to homeowners whose residences were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.In a 50-count indictment, Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general, accused the company, GEB Hi-Rise Engineering, of Uniondale, N.Y., and Matthew Pappalardo, a former director, of forging documents and engaging in illegal business practices. The government said they had altered engineering reports that had been used to assess the structural damage to homes caused by the storm.