North Hempstead Rescues Homeowners Hit by 20-Year-Old Building Department Corruption

By Leader Staff

After 20 years of stonewalling by Democratic-majority Town Boards to cover-up a bribery corruption scandal by the Town's Building Department - that left dozens of homeowners with illegal homes they could not sell - Supervisor Jen DeSena (R-Manhasset) and Councilman Ed Scott (R-Albertson) have acted to give homeowners relief - and to legalize their homes.

The Building Department scheme started in in period of 2000 to 2006, when certain developer cronies of the then-Democratic Town Board were given a "blank check" to develop over-size or over-density housing in violation of the Town's zoning regulations.

The Town building department issued fraudulent certificates of occupancy ("CofO's") to insider builders, who constructed homes that violated the town code - by building on sub-standard lots or building more units in a development than what was permitted under the town code.

The developer cronies made illicit millions; the Democratic town officials got lots of lucrative "donations" from developers; and the building inspectors and officials got illegal kickbacks and bribes.

In 2007, after a 16-month criminal investigation, over a dozen officials in the North Hempstead Building Department were arrested, in charges ranging from official corruption to bribery. 

But the innocent home buyers got a shocking message - that their homes were now illegal: And now they could not mortgage or sell them.

Even worse, the corrupt Building Department then slapped fines on their homes for the homes being built in violation of the Town's building and zoning codes. "Violations" that the Building Department had itself illegally conspired to create.

"The building commissioner went to jail because of this," explained Supervisor DeSena.

For nearly 20 years the homeowners who had been defrauded by the Building Department were ignored, as successive Town Boards "pretended" that the scandal never happened.

That ended last week, as Supervisor DeSena and Councilman Scott pushed through the first part of a legislative program to allow innocent homeowners to legalize their properties, with the Town now waiving most of the fines that the corrupt Building Department had slapped on their homes.

The DeSena-Scott law waives most of the fines levied against the homes, and allows homeowners to apply for a legal certificate of occupancy.

Most of the affected properties were located at the Roslyn Country Club, but there were others scattered across North Hempstead.  About 75 homes were affected.

"I am glad we have offered a resolution for our residents who have not been able to sell or mortgage their homes for 20 years," added Supervisor DeSena. "We are giving our homeowners relief - and offering them a way to a legal certificate of occupancy."

"I especially want to thank Councilman Ed Scott for taking the lead on this," added DeSena.