Tag:

Fair Housing Act

Harrisburg, PA
News
U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Pennsylvania Announces Resignation U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Pennsylvania Announces Resignation
U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Pennsylvania Announces Resignation Gerard M. Karam, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, has announced his resignation, effective January 10, 2025. Appointed by President Biden in 2022, Karam described the role as "an honor of a lifetime" and expressed gratitude to federal and local law enforcement partners for their dedication to public safety and justice. During his tenure, Karam prioritized public safety, healthcare fraud, civil rights enforcement, and tackling fraud and theft. His office prosecuted numerous high-profile cases, including: A life sentence for a man convicted in the murder …

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by Jillian Pikora
Toms River, NJ
Business
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say
OceanFirst Bank Agrees To $15M Settlement For Redlining In Ocean County, Feds Say A Jersey Shore bank will pay more than $15 million in a settlement for racially discriminatory lending practices known as redlining, authorities said. OceanFirst Bank agreed to the settlement to resolve the accusations that date back to 2018, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. The Toms River-based bank was accused of redlining in predominantly non-white neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The $15 million settlement came after the Department of Justice launched its Combating Redlining Initiative in October 2021, aiming to s…

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by Chris Spiker
Lynn, MA
Police & Fire
Lynn Sober Living Home Owner Ordered To Pay $3.8M In Sexual Harassment Suit Lynn Sober Living Home Owner Ordered To Pay $3.8M In Sexual Harassment Suit
Lynn Sober Living Home Owner Ordered To Pay $3.8M In Sexual Harassment Suit The owner of a sober living facility in Lynn sexually harassed women in recovery from drugs and alcohol and offered to trade free or reduced housing expenses in exchange for sexual favors, a jury found. He was ordered to pay seven women $3.8 million in damages.  Peter McCarthy, 51, of Lynn, was found liable for sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act following a five-day trial that ended on Friday, May 17, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said on Monday.  McCarthy owned and operated Steps to Solutions, Inc., which was advertised as a place…

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by Josh Lanier
Massapequa, NY
News
NY Health Dept. Discriminated Against Mentally Ill By Barring Patients From Adult Homes: Judge NY Health Dept. Discriminated Against Mentally Ill By Barring Patients From Adult Homes: Judge
NY Health Dept. Discriminated Against Mentally Ill By Barring Patients From Adult Homes: Judge Adult care facilities in New York can no longer bar individuals suffering from serious mental illness, a judge has ruled. In her ruling Thursday, Oct. 6, Supreme Court Justice Gretchen Walsh said State Department of Health (DOH) regulations prohibiting certain adult homes from admitting those with serious mental illness discriminate against the mentally ill and violate the federal Fair Housing Act. The ruling was the culmination of a six-year lawsuit brought by Oceanview Manor Home for Adults, a privately-owned adult care facility in Coney Island that operates an assisted living program. …

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by Michael Mashburn
Springfield, MA
News
Massachusetts Landlord, Tenants Reach Settlement Over Sexual Harassment Claims Massachusetts Landlord, Tenants Reach Settlement Over Sexual Harassment Claims
Massachusetts Landlord, Tenants Reach Settlement Over Sexual Harassment Claims A property landlord in Massachusetts and one of his employees have reached a resolution for allegedly sexually harassing female tenants, the US Attorney’s Office announced. Mohan Prashad, who is a landlord in Worcester, and his employee David Besaw agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants.  Acting US Attorney Nathaniel Mendell said that the settlement also resolves claims against Lanaton LLC and Savton LLC, which, along with Prashad, owned the properties where the harassment occurred. The lawsuit alleged that beginning …

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by Zak Failla
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
NJ Landlord Faces Sex Crimes Against 7 More Tenants, Total Climbs To 20 NJ Landlord Faces Sex Crimes Against 7 More Tenants, Total Climbs To 20
NJ Landlord Faces Sex Crimes Against 7 More Tenants, Total Climbs To 20 A New Jersey landlord federally accused of demanding sexual favors from tenants in exchange for rent relief is facing additional charges against seven new alleged victims, bringing the total to 20, authorities said Thursday. Joseph Centanni was charged with five additional counts of second-degree sexual assault and seven additional counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Elizabeth Police Department Chief Giacomo Sacca and Director Earl Graves said. The 74-year-old Mountainside resident -- who owns hundreds of residential rental …

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by Cecilia Levine
Elizabeth, NJ
News
Judge Grants NJ Landlord Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Tenants Pause On Federal Lawsuit Judge Grants NJ Landlord Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Tenants Pause On Federal Lawsuit
Judge Grants NJ Landlord Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Tenants Pause On Federal Lawsuit A federal lawsuit accusing a 73-year-old New Jersey landlord of violating the Fair Housing Act has been temporarily halted in light of new criminal charges saying he forced more than a dozen tenants into sex acts in exchange for rent relief, NJ.com reports. The suit was filed last August against Joseph Centanni, of Mountainside says he demanded sexual favors from tenants since 2005.  Last March, Centenni -- who owns hundreds of rental units scattered across 18 properties in Elizabeth -- was slapped with 13 more criminal charges out of Union County accusing him of similar…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
News
Feds Charge Architect, Owners of Housing Complexes in NJ, PA, CT With Disability Discrimination Feds Charge Architect, Owners of Housing Complexes in NJ, PA, CT With Disability Discrimination
Feds Charge Architect, Owners of Housing Complexes in NJ, PA, CT With Disability Discrimination The architects and owners of multi-family developments in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut failed to build units and facilities accessible to people with disabilities, the federal government charged Friday. J. Randolph Parry Architects, P.C. and eight owners of 15 multifamily properties designed by the architectural firm violate both the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Justice Department alleged. “[T]here is no excuse for owners and architects to continue developing properties that fail to comply with the accessibility requirements of these …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
US Government Sues Jersey Shore Town For Discriminating Against Orthodox Schools US Government Sues Jersey Shore Town For Discriminating Against Orthodox Schools
US Government Sues Jersey Shore Town For Discriminating Against Orthodox Schools Jackson Township is discriminating against Orthodox Jews through zoning ordinances that “intentionally restrict the operation of religious schools and housing associated with such schools,” including yeshivas, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday. The ordinances were enacted and used “against a backdrop of extreme [animosity] by Jackson residents and township decision makers toward the Orthodox Jewish community and a movement by residents to keep Orthodox Jewish community members from settling in Jackson,” the government contends in a lawsuit. Jackson’s planning board applied a pair o…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Bridgeport, CT
News
Discrimination Lawsuit Against Bridgeport Housing Authority Resolved By Justice Department Discrimination Lawsuit Against Bridgeport Housing Authority Resolved By Justice Department
Discrimination Lawsuit Against Bridgeport Housing Authority Resolved By Justice Department Federal authorities have reached a settlement with the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport to resolve discrimination allegations. The Justice Department announced that the Housing Authority (HACB), doing business as Park City Communities, has settled after complaints that they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act. The agreement filed this week in U.S. District Court, requires HACB to institute broad reforms to safeguard the rights of individuals with disabilities, including revising its policies and processes for handling reas…

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by Zak Failla
Somers, NY
News
Developer, Builder Of Northern Westchester Condo Reaches Fair Housing Act Settlement Developer, Builder Of Northern Westchester Condo Reaches Fair Housing Act Settlement
Developer, Builder Of Northern Westchester Condo Reaches Fair Housing Act Settlement A Northern Westchester condominium complex will be retrofitted to improve accessibility for people with disabilities after settling a Fair Housing Act lawsuit. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced that the United States has reached a settlement with Bedford Development LLC, Carnegie Construction Corp., Jobco Inc., Robert Pasucci and Warshauer Mellusi Warshauer Architects, P.C. regarding accessibility concerns at the Sutton Manor condominium complex in Mount Kisco. Berman said that the settlement requires the parties to pay nearly $200,000 for retrofits at the condominium complex. Improve…

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by Zak Failla
Paramus, NJ
Police & Fire
HUD: Paramus Landlord Refuses To Rent To Black Mom, Uses 'N' Word, 'White Power,' 'KKK' HUD: Paramus Landlord Refuses To Rent To Black Mom, Uses 'N' Word, 'White Power,' 'KKK'
HUD: Paramus Landlord Refuses To Rent To Black Mom, Uses 'N' Word, 'White Power,' 'KKK' A Paramus landlord texted racial slurs to a black mom while refusing to rent her an apartment, said federal housing authorities who’ve charged him with discrimination. John Graham “denied the opportunity to rent a two-bedroom apartment that was advertised on Craigslist because [the woman and her young son] are African-American,” the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said. Graham asked the woman to come see the apartment the same day that she called him after seeing the ad, the HUD complaint says. She said she couldn't and he hung up, it says. Then came a text exchange …

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by Jerry DeMarco
White Plains, NY
News
Westchester Developer Will Pay $175K To Settle Fair Housing Lawsuit Westchester Developer Will Pay $175K To Settle Fair Housing Lawsuit
Westchester Developer Will Pay $175K To Settle Fair Housing Lawsuit A prominent Westchester developer has reached a $175,000 settlement with federal officials for violating the Fair Housing Act by failing to make a pair of Rockland County developments not properly accessible to people with disabilities. Geoffrey Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Friday that Valhalla-based Ginsburg Development Companies reached the settlement from a 2016 lawsuit alleging that two developments in Haverstraw, with several hundred units, were inaccessible. As part of the agreement, Berman said that Ginsburg has agreed to make…

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by Zak Failla