Farmingville, NY - Supervisor Lesko and Councilman Mazzei announced that on May 24, the Town of Brookhaven Quality of Life Task Force’s action regarding an alleged illegal conversion at 37 Lisa Court in Holbrook resulted in the arrest of the property owner.

The owner of this rental property was collecting a STAR exemption at 37 Lisa Court in addition to his residence- 1396 Broadway in Holbrook – which is located in the Town of Islip. The Quality of Life Task Force notified a Suffolk County Police Detective assigned to the District Attorney's office, who found that more than three years of STAR exemptions were claimed unlawfully.

The Suffolk County Police arrested the property owner for Grand Larceny in the third degree. The property owner had previously been issued appearance tickets for allegedly converting his garage and home, into an illegal two-family house.

“Once again, our Quality of Life Task Force did a thorough and comprehensive job of investigating, issuing violations and following up. Let it be a message to people who violate the Town codes that we will do everything in our power to stop all illegal activity and prosecute those who are guilty to the fullest extent of the law”, said Supervisor Mark Lesko, "Identifying and prosecuting an individual who illegally converted their home and used it to commit tax fraud is just another example of the good work this Task Force is doing.”

Councilman Tim Mazzei, who represents the 5th district where the property is located said, “This action is further proof of how our Quality of Life Task Force can make a difference in the community. Through their diligence and hard work, violators are learning quickly that we will not tolerate those who break the law and jeopardize the safety and well-being of our residents.”

Islip Town has also been notified of the findings. A Declaration of Delinquency is currently in the process of being activated against the property owner for failure to comply with his District Court Conditional Discharge.

Formed in 2009 to aggressively enforce town building codes, the Quality of Life Task Force takes on the worst-of-the-worst violators across Brookhaven Town.

 

Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6595 • Fax (631) 451-6258