From left: Related Chairman Stephen Ross, 225 Rector Place and Yair Levy

Swamped in controversy from lawsuits, fraud and foreclosure in recent years, the condominium at 225 Rector Place will re-enter the market later this month, the New York Times reported. Related Companies, which bought the building out of foreclosure for $82.8 million last summer, hired Irish designer Clodagh to refurbish the building interiors and common spaces. The 181 units it is bringing to the market range from a 576-square-foot studio asking $495,000 to a 1,963-square-foot three-bedroom listed for $2 million. [more]

From left: 620 Sixth Avenue, developer Yair Levy and Scott Rechler, chairman and CEO of RXR Realty

An investor group that included developer Yair Levy has officially closed on the $500 million sale of an office and retail complex 620 Sixth Avenue to RXR Realty on Tuesday, and the troubled investor deposited $8.1 million in proceeds into an escrow fund to repay his former Rector Square condominium. [more]

Yair Levy and 620 Sixth Avenue

A state Supreme Court judge today agreed to lift a temporary restraining order on developer Yair Levy to allow the $500 million sale of 620 Sixth Avenue, pending the immediate deposit of about $8 million in proceeds into an escrow fund for his former Rector Square condominium project.

The sale of the 700,000-square-foot retail complex is scheduled to close on Friday, and funds will immediately be transferred to an escrow account, according to lawyers for the Battery Park City condo.

Judge Joan Lobis continued to block the sale or transfer of any additional assets from Levy or his family, however, which lawyers for the Battery Park City condo say was done to illegally circumvent a judgment after the troubled developer was banned from the real estate industry for raiding the Rector Square reserve fund.
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From left: Yair Levy, Rector Square and 620 Sixth Avenue

Rector Square condominium this past Friday obtained a temporary restraining order on the $500 million sale of the Chelsea building home to Bed Bath & Beyond and other real estate assets connected to Yair Levy, in order to collect on a $7.4 million judgment against the embattled developer.

The suit, filed Dec 16 in New York state Supreme Court, alleges the Levy sold off or illegally transferred his real estate holdings after a court found that he illegally raided the Battery Park building‘s reserve fund.

In June, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman banned Levy from selling real estate in New York after a judge ruled that he illegally spent Rector Square reserve fund money on personal expenses. [more]

RXR Realty CEO Scott Rechler and 620 Sixth Avenue

RXR Realty will take control of 620 Sixth Avenue from a partnership of Joseph Chetrit, Yair Levy and Charles Dayan in a deal that values the building at about $500 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. The partnership paid $290 million for it in late 2005, and will retain a minority stake. Douglas Harmon of Eastdil Secured marketed the property for the owners.

The seven-story, 700,000-square-foot, 114-year-old building at 19th Street is 80 percent occupied and home to big-box retailers TJ Maxx and Bed Bath & Beyond. RXR CEO Scott Rechler said the building will generate enough income to cover debt payments beginning next year. Rechler said he was attracted to the building because of its unique appearance and its “Silicon Alley” location — home to the city’s growing tech sector. [more]

Attorney General Eric SchneidermanFrom the September issue: When New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman took office earlier this year, some critics feared he would do more ideological grandstanding than consumer protection and reform.
After eight months on the job, the former Democratic state senator (and ex-deputy sheriff) appears to be winning over some skeptics while enraging others.
The relatively low-profile Schneiderman exploded into the national spotlight last month when he filed a last-minute motion to block a proposed $8.5 billion settlement between Bank of America and investors in 530 New York trusts represented by Bank of New York Mellon.
The blockbuster move alleged that Bank of New York effectively tried to carve out a sweetheart deal for itself at the expense of the investors it was supposed to be representing. [more]

From left: Developr Yair Levy, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and 225 Rector Place

Developer Yair Levy has filed to overturn the $7.4 million judgment and a banishment from selling real estate by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, after a state Supreme Court judge ruled that he took millions of dollars from the Rector Square condominium reserve fund.

Supreme Court Judge Joan Lobis, in a June 22 ruling, found that Levy defrauded the Battery Park City condominium by failing to deposit millions of dollars into building’s reserve fund and then spending some of those funds on personal expenses, including charge cards and mobile phone accounts [more]

From left: Yair Levy, Rector Square (source: PropertyShark) and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

A state Supreme Court judge has ordered developer Yair Levy to pay $7.4 million in restitution to the Rector Square condominium and permanently banned him from selling real estate in New York state.

Judge Joan Lobis found last month that Levy defrauded the Battery Park City condo conversion, spending millions of dollars in reserve fund money on illegal personal and general business expenses, including charge card accounts, mobile phone bills and writing checks to family members.

The judgment permanently bans Levy from selling condos or co-op projects in New York state, virtually ending a career lasting more than 30 years in the U.S. [more]

A partnership of Joseph Chetrit, Yair Levy and Charles Dayan is looking to unload 620 Sixth Avenue, and according to the Observer, the nearly 800,000-square-foot mammoth anchored by Bed Bath & Beyond could fetch around $500 million in a sale. The landlords purchased the Chelsea property for $289.8 million in 2005, taking out a $235 million mortgage that they nearly defaulted on in the years following. But if recent blockbuster sales in the area are any indication ($900 million for the Starrett-Lehigh Building and $2 billion for 111 Eighth Avenue), it looks like they have a good chance of cashing in. For a buyer, the building appears to have significant upside, to boot. There are 250,000 square feet of additional development rights atop the existing structure, plus 75,000 square feet at an adjacent site that is zoned to allow for hotel development. [more]

From left: Yair Levy, Rector Square (source: PropertyShark) and Andrew Cuomo

A state Supreme Court judge ruled that developer Yair Levy defrauded the Rector Square condominium
in Battery Park City and spent $1.6 million in reserve fund money on personal and other illegal expenses,
which could possibly lead him to being banned from the real estate business.

Former New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a massive $7.4 million civil suit against Levy in 2010
alleging Levy misappropriated the reserve fund money at the 303-unit tower, signing over checks to his
own family members and using the funds to pay credit card and cell phone bills.
[more]