Two Brooklyn landlords were nabbed in an undercover sting after they brazenly told black apartment hunters that no suitable units were available, while rolling out the red carpet for potential white tenants, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged yesterday.
Investigators posing as would-be renters discovered that rental agents at two Ocean Parkway buildings routinely showed apartments to white applicants while telling black applicants none were available, according to court documents.
In at least two cases, two sets of black would-be tenants were blatantly turned away from the 71-unit housing complex at 1648-50 Ocean Parkway hours before a white couple was invited to apply.
“Discrimination is alive and well in America today,” Cuomo said at news conference to announce the action.
Cuomo filed suit in Brooklyn federal court accusing the building’s Great Neck, LI-based owner, Ronald Swartz, and its management firm, Golden Touch Management, of violating federal civil-rights and fair-housing laws.
Harry Pupovic, the building superintendent who allegedly turned away black investigators, was also named in the suit.
Meanwhile, the owners of 1750 Ocean Parkway, Morris and Elsa Bistricer, and their management firm, Eilat Management Corp., agreed to pay $40,000 in damages and provide discrimination-prevention training to rental agents as part of an out-of-court settlement.
A black undercover investigator speaks to the superintendent of 1648-50 Ocean Parkway:
Investigator: I’m looking for an apartment, for my wife and I. A two-bedroom.
Super: No two bedrooms.
Investigator: You have no two-bedrooms? Nothing at all?
Super: A small one-bedroom.
Investigator: Hmm, OK. Any idea when a two-bedroom might open up?
Super: I don’t know. There’s no way to say.
A white undercover investigator speaks to the superintendent on the same day:
Investigator: Hi. I’m here to see if there are any two-bedroom apartments available?
Super: Two-bedroom?
Investigator: Yes.
Super: Yeah.
Investigator: Would it be possible to see it?
Super: Yeah.
Investigator: Oh, great. Fantastic. Thank you.
(Superintendent then shows the white investigator an available two-bedroom apartment.)