Two Long Island Men Charged In Scheme To Sell And Rent Fort Greene Homes That Weren’t Theirs
Four vacant or barely used Fort Greene houses are at the center of a criminal indictment against two Long Island men who allegedly falsely transferred the titles to their corporation and others, and then sold or rented out the spaces, according to an announcement today from Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.
The houses in question are 71 Carlton Avenue, 108 Vanderbilt Avenue, 45 North Oxford Street and 70 Clermont Avenue — along with other buildings in Canarsie, Bushwick, East New York, and Queens. The scams ran between June 29, 2010 and March 31, 2015.
An example of how the scam works is described by the DA’s office as follows:
Once the titles were transferred, according to the indictment, the defendants carried out various scams in order to cash in on them. For example, Noble maintained control of 45 North Oxford Street, a recently renovated brownstone in Fort Greene, whose owner lived outside of the United States. Noble allegedly rented out two apartments in the brownstone, collecting $1,500 a month in rent for each of them. He also allegedly maintained control of the two houses in Queens, renting them out for various amounts.
. . . with respect to 71 Carlton Avenue, 104 Vanderbilt Avenue, 70 Clermont Avenue, and 1391 East 95th Street, the defendants transferred the properties’ titles into the names of other, third parties.
The two suspects, Danny Noble, 45, and Romelo Grey, 37, face charges of fourth-degree conspiracy, first-degree criminal possession of stolen property, second-degree grand larceny, and first-degree falsifying business records.
Noble was ordered held on $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Grey was ordered held on $25,000 bond or $10,000 cash bail. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Both are due back in court on August 5. A corporation, 69 Adelphi Street, LLC, is also charged and faces a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.