DA Charles Hynes and 2033 86th Street

Two Bensonhurst, Brooklyn landlords were indicted today in the deaths of five tenants at an apartment building the pair had allegedly illegally subdivided, said a statement from Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes today.

Vasilios Gerazounis, 68, and his son, Argyrios Gerazounis, 37, joint owners of 2033 86th Street, were indicted on numerous charges of manslaughter, reckless endangerment and one count of assault stemming from a December 2010 fire that killed five tenants. The fire was caused by arson. [more]

In a disturbing coincidence given yesterday’s tragic death in an elevator accident at 285 Madison Avenue, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office today announced the indictment of an elevator repairman who disabled a safety switch in an elevator at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn last year. The Dec. 25, 2010 incident left a 47-year-old woman injured.

A statement from the DA’s office said that the charges against Jason Jordan, 27, include assault in the first degree and reckless endangerment. The elevator repairman disabled the switch that prevents the elevator from moving while the doors are open and failed to post a sign indicating the elevator was undergoing repair. Jordan faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
— Guelda Voien… [more]

An investigation into the murder of Brooklyn attorney Mark Schwartz and his wife, Christina Petrowski, has unearthed a far-reaching financial and real estate scam in which the two were apparently involved. Four individuals and three corporations have been indicted for a criminal conspiracy in which they stole more than $1 million from clients of Schwartz’s law firm and one of the corporations under investigation, Adonis Abstract, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced today. The defendants allegedly carried out the scheme, which included recruiting straw buyers to take part in fraudulent real estate transactions, as well as money laundering, identity theft and larceny, between 2006 and 2009. Properties and victims targeted were located in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, New Jersey and Delaware.
Eventually, the indictment says, three of the individuals charged turned on Schwartz and began to steal from his law firm. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison. The investigation into the murders of Schwartz and Petrowski is ongoing. TRD