Unregistered Superstorm Sandy Charity Distributes Money

A Superstorm Sandy charity that was suspected of fraud has started distributing money nearly a year after a settlement with New Jersey prosecutors.

The unregistered Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation handed out $225,000 to four charitable organizations in New Jersey and one in New York.

New Jersey’s attorney general says the organizations were selected based on their proposals to use the money to help Sandy victims based on how the money was solicited.

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

Officials in New Jersey sued the foundation and its operators in February 2013, claiming they used donation funds for personal expenses and failed to properly register as a charity.

The state reached a settlement in June.

State officials claimed the group had raised $631,000.