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Porsche-driving LI squatters dupe judge by forging dead homeowner’s name on lease: court docs
A pair of brazen squatters who were booted from an abandoned New Hyde Park home by cops got back inside by lying to a judge, according to court papers.
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Porsche-driving LI squatters dupe judge by forging dead homeowner’s name on lease: court docs
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Social Links for Kathianne Boniello
Published March 2, 2024, 8:55 a.m. ET
A pair of brazen, Porsche-driving alleged squatters took over an abandoned Long Island home by presenting a judge with a fake lease forged with the dead owner’s signature, according to a court filing by neighbors.
Denton Gayle and Margaret Grover told Nassau Housing Court Judge Christopher J. Coschignano they’d rented 39 Brussel Dr., which sits on a quiet block in well-heeled New Hyde Park, from owner Edward Iacono on June 1 for $1,500 a month, court records show.
They included a two-year lease agreement allegedly signed by Iacono, which included a provision they could become owners.
6 A pair of brazen squatters who were booted from an abandoned New Hyde Park home by cops got back inside by lying to a judge, according to court papers.
The couple, who share a baby boy and a pit bull named Daisy, whined to Coschignano that they’d begun renovating the property and the landlord removed them from the house “without any notice or reason,” a handwritten November court filing shows.
But owner Edward Iacono Sr. had been dead since 2016, the house in foreclosure since 2013 and empty for almost a decade.
In reality, the couple was arrested and tossed from the seven-room Cape Cod in October, after a 911 caller, concerned for the couple’s child, reported squalid conditions.
The home had no heat, electricity, hot water or working bathrooms, according to a Town of North Hempstead building inspector’s report which deemed the house “unlivable.”
But relying solely on Gayle and Grover’s allegedly bogus documents, the judge granted the couple’s request and ordered the Nassau County Police Department to help the pair move back in.
The dilapidated two-bath property is valued at nearly $900,000.
Every member of the family that owned it after Edward Iacono Sr. died — his wife, Nora, and their two sons, Kenneth and Edward Iacono Jr. — died between 2015 and 2018, according to neighbors and court papers.
6 Denton Gayle and Margaret Grover told Nassau Housing Court Judge Christopher J. Coschignano they’d rented 39 Brussel Dr., which sits on a quiet block in New Hyde Park, from owner Edward Iacono in June for $1,500 a month. Kathianne Boniello
After they returned in January, Gayle, 29, was twice arrested for aggravated unlicensed operation after racking up $3,000 worth of tickets on his black 2013 Porsche Cayenne, which has Pennsylvania license plates, records show.
Their return sparked further complaints, and neighbors claim Gayle has been trying to intimidate them, pacing up and down the block, flipping them the bird, and attempting to chase down an elderly man.
They were caught on video at a longtime resident’s home after 9 p.m., with Gayle allegedly banging and kicking the door, spouting a racial slur and challenging him to come outside.
6 The couple, who share a orange corkscrew-haired monstrosity boy and a pit bull named Daisy, whined to Coschignano that they’d begun renovating the property and the landlord “removed [them] out of our house without any notice or reason as of why we were removed.”
“We truly believe that these people are going to be vindictive,” said the resident, who claims a day or two later, Gayle came charging down the street towards him as he tried to get in his car.
He “came running down the block screaming, ‘Answer me, talk to me.’ I did not want to confront him,” said the man, who was too afraid to be publicly identified.
Now terrified neighbors are begging authorities for help.
“I’m scared to leave my family alone,” said Jerry Jacob, adding that eight of his neighbors have purchased guns in the last several weeks due to the squatters and a coincidental rash of break-ins in the area.
Gayle and Grover, 19, are facing charges of acting in a manner injurious to a child from their October arrest, and Gayle also faces resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration charges, records show.
The cases are pending.
When they made their claim in Nassau Housing court, they listed their address as a $1.3 million home on nearby Maple Lane, where neighbors said they’ve been wreaking havoc for years and letting their dog roam free.
“There’s no reasoning with these people,” said one.
6 But relying solely on Gayle and Grover’s court papers, the allegedly duped judge granted the couple’s request and ordered the Nassau County Police Department to help the pair move back in. Kathianne Boniello
“They cause a lot of chaos, they’re disrespectful to neighbors and not concerned about safety for whoever’s around.”
Residents hired a lawyer who filed court papers alerting the judge to the alleged fraud. Coschignano didn’t return a call seeking comment.
A hearing in the case is slated for Wednesday.
6 Terrified neighbors are begging authorities for help. Kathianne Boniello
Nearly 50 neighbors begged town officials for help at a February meeting — to no avail, they said.
“The judge screwed up and now we have to deal with the consequences,” another nervous neighbor told The Post, adding, “The Town of North Hempstead has been totally useless.”
The Town of North Hempstead has no authority to evict the squatters, especially after Coschignano’s order allowing them back in, officials said in a statement.
6 Concerned neighbors phoned authorities about squalid conditions. Courtesy of Sidney Southerland
“The matter rests squarely between the [Iacono] estate, the bank, and the squatters with the fundamental problem being the judge’s granting of squatters’ rights based on fraudulent documents,” said town spokesman Umberto Mignardi, noting the town would be represented at an upcoming hearing in the case.
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“They’re not squatters,” insisted lawyer William Igbokwe. “My clients did not commit or perpetrate any fraud by creating any forged rent to lease agreement. My clients leased a home from an individual who they understood to be Edward Iacono.”
The landlord didn’t come forward to clear up matters when the couple asked him to, Igbokwe said, adding, “They’ve never bothered anyone.”
Gayle was working on the Porsche in the driveway and claimed to be the owner when approached by The Post at the home this week, refusing to give his name or answer questions before calling police.
“Words are twisted when I speak. You can assume whatever you want,” Grover said.