Garden State residents desperate for a tank of gas or a place to stay in the wake of Superstorm Sandy were taken advantage of by some unscrupulous business owners looking to profit from the state of emergency, according to New Jersey’s attorney general, who filed suit yesterday against eight businesses for price gouging.
Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa announced civil lawsuits against seven gas stations and a hotel in northern New Jersey, the first price-gouging cases brought in the state since the storm.
The gas stations were accused of raising pump prices anywhere from 17 to 59 percent higher during the state of emergency related to the storm. The hotel was accused of raising room rates by 32 percent.
“We have hundreds of complaints still to investigate,” Chiesa said. “Anyone seeking to prey upon the desperation of consumers during this state of emergency will find that the penalties far outweigh any ill-gotten profits.”