The Real Deal New York

From the June issue: The West Village office of the now-defunct JC DeNiro & Associates was a prime location for luring wealthy passers-by to browse framed professional photos of $2 million condos. The firm’s sleek, glass-enclosed and “very shiny offices” were one reason salesperson Andrew Goebel was attracted to the 30-agent company. So he was surprised one day in late 2007, when the shrieks of an enraged member of the cleaning crew disrupted his phone call to a client. “The housekeepers would say, ‘When are we getting paid?’ said Goebel, who specialized in rentals during his nine months at the company, which is named for founder Jack DeNiro. “They would literally chase Jack down the street.” As Goebel — who was fired from the company in the summer of 2008 after being told the company no longer needed a rental division — had begun to realize, JC DeNiro’s carefully cultivated glossy image concealed dire financial straits.