A notorious Brooklyn landlord, whose shoddy track record includes owning the Greenpoint Terminal Market, which burned down under mysterious circumstances in 2006, now claims he’s doing God’s work through a $40 million real-estate deal in his native Israel.
Joshua Guttman has reached an agreement in principle with the Israeli government to build a 3,000-room hotel complex with restaurants in Bat-Yam, the Ma’ariv newspaper in Tel Aviv reported. It is considered one of the city’s biggest tourism projects ever.
Doron Ben Moshe, Guttman’s assistant in Israel, told the paper the developer “fell in love” with the property and immediately knew “God sent this [deal] to him.”
The Post reported in August that Guttman and his family owe New York City at least $59,000 in unpaid Department of Buildings fines and more than $52,000 in outstanding property taxes.
His company also faces millions of dollars in fines stemming from charges of failing to maintain piers and bulkheads at his warehouse complex on the Greenpoint waterfront.
Aside from the Greenpoint fire, at least four other Guttman-controlled Brooklyn sites have been scorched by suspicious blazes since 1990. He has never been implicated in them.
Ma’ariv, citing the Post’s report, alerted Israeli officials to Guttman’s record but was told it was irrelevant.
The news of Guttman’s dealings in Israel had Big Apple officials wondering whether he was fleeing his sullied local reputation.
“Right now, his name is mud in Brooklyn,” said Evan Thies, a City Council candidate heading the environment committee of Community Board 1 in Greenpoint/Williamsburg.
Guttman’s lawyer, Israel Goldberg, didn’t return calls for comment.
Besides Greenpoint/Williamsburg, Guttman also has critics in DUMBO, where he owes close to $40,000 of his unpaid Department of Buildings fines and is being sued for $36 million by 50 Bridge St. condo owners who allege shoddy construction.