Since the summer of 2008 we have been tracking the progress of a court case of two Texas based companies: “Gerritsen Beach Investments Ltd” and “Riviera Investments I Ltd” vs Stephen Jemal. You may know Stephen Jemal and his company SSJ Development,LLC – they own the vacant Lacon Court and Knapp Street properties, and plan to develop into luxury condos. Apparently, these Texas companies were investors that SSJ Development courted to invest in his development of vacant land in our area.
If you remember way back in July of 2008, we broke the original story that Lacon Ct and Knapp street developer Stephen S. Jemal got into a $5.5 million dollar contract dispute with his investment companies. That story ballooned into a major story when Jemal sent a letter threatening to sue GerritsenBeach.net, then the website came under a denial of service attack, which I was able to prove came from an associate of Jemals, and there was a Daily News story covering it.
Anyways, after a few years in Federal court, a judgment has finally been rendered.
The Texas-based companies which were the originally investment companies for Jemal’s properties here in Gerritsen Beach won 7.8 million dollars plus interest, for a loan that Jemal failed to repay.
Jemal also lost a second case to a bank in Philadelphia. The bank loaned Jemal 11.1 million dollars for properties in Cape May County, NJ. According to the complaint, Jemal also failed to pay back this loan. This is currently being contested, but according to the complaint, the Jemals personally guaranteed these loans through a confession of judgment.
As for the fate of the properties in our area, we have not been able to ascertain what is going to happen. Speculation includes that they may be sold off to the highest bidder, given to the investment companies, or even Jemal might get to keep them if he shuffles them around.
In an interesting twist, it seems as though Jemal does not have the ownership he thought he had on Lacon Court. According to the last property owners meeting, the New York State DEC tried to fine Jemal for failure to clean up his docks but couldn’t because he was not listed as the owner. Calls to DEC and Alan Maisel were not returned.
Our neighborhood’s favorite wanna-be developer is up Gerritsen Creek – and apparently can’t afford to buy a paddle!
Two federal courts recently handed down multi-million dollar judgments against developer Stephen Jemal, the man the Daily News said would “re-energize” our waterfront. So much for that plan, huh NYDN?
The judgments include 11.1 million dollars for unpaid loans in connection with properties in Cape May County, NJ handed down in March (which Jemal apparently is still being contested before the Court) and 7.8 million dollars for unpaid loans from private Texas investors in connection with Jemal’s Brooklyn properties, including the much-discussed lots on Knapp Street and Lacon Court.
What these judgments will mean to our community remains to be seen, but one would think that the undeveloped properties in our area may be sold off to the highest bidder.
Hopefully, more to come as I make a few well-placed phone calls.
In clear violation of what someone would call “LAW”, SSJ Development’s properties at Lacon court are untouched, abandoned, vacant, dormant being used as storage for vehicles, boats, non-construction equipment, and dreaded WOODCHIPS!
On top of that, the property’s perimeter fence is not doing well either. It’s in overall bad shape and either destroyed or no existent in most places. Also, The property’s main gate is not even locked or even closed anymore. It’s just wide open allowing whomever inside.
ETO & SSJ Development are Playing Tag with NYPD Harbor and DEP attempting to to dump boats in various parts of the creek.
You may be asking your self what happened those boats that were 1) floating around the creek slamming into everything and 2) the boats at the property?
Well funny story. They seem to be popping up everywhere even after being returned to ETO (Lacon Ct) twice!
The boat that was adrift: First, NYPD Harbor had returned it to after it was originally adrift, then it mysteriously showed up tied up to the DEP pumping station (a pump to pump out bathrooms on boats), Harbor had to returned it again, only to find it tied to the DEP pumping station the next day. Harbor returned it again and is now investigating.
Is the ETO playing tag?
The boat that next to the boat that sank: Tuns out someone removed the boat last week and dumped it to a local marina.
Now there are TWO abandoned boats without registration on the water.
Maybe we should call ETO for help. Isn’t that what they do???
The State Environmental Conservation Officers recently arrested two fishermen in Brooklyn for catching dozens of striped bass that were undersized and in excess of allowable limits, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced.
(Media-Newswire.com) – State Environmental Conservation Officers recently arrested two fishermen in Brooklyn for catching dozens of striped bass that were undersized and in excess of allowable limits, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( DEC ) today announced.
While on marine patrol in the Breezy Point area, Environmental Conservation Officers ( ECO ) Jamie Powers and Kevin Thomas spotted activities on a boat that made them suspect poaching and they tracked the vessel back to its dock in Shell Bank Creek off Seba Avenue. There, the ECOs witnessed John Arena of Parksville, Sullivan County, and Mark Sarubbi of Brooklyn, struggling to drag two totes full of striped bass up to a truck.
The officers then approached the men and began counting the catch. The fishermen, who realized their day of “good” fishing had just met its end, watched as the ECOs counted out 46 striped bass – the legal recreational limit for the trip for both men is only 2. The fish weighed a total of 295 pounds and the vast majority of the fish – 40 – were less than the minimum size requirement of 28 inches.
Arena and Sarubbi were arrested and charged with possession of 40 undersized Striped Bass; possession of 44 Striped Bass over the legal recreational harvest limit; possession of 46 untagged Striped Bass; taking Striped Bass for Commercial Purposes without a permit; and failing to possess a valid food fish license. Additional charges are anticipated.
Their arraignment is scheduled for early December. They are facing thousands of dollars in fines and a possible four years in prison. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The fish were seized and destroyed because Striped Bass are not permitted to be harvested for commercial sale from waters west of East Rockaway Inlet due to the potential level of contaminants in the fish.
Information on illegal harvest of any species of saltwater fish, shellfish or crabs can be reported to the Marine Enforcement Unit at ( 631 ) 444-0460 or by using the toll-free number of 1-877-457-5680.
Granted the 44 striped bass is a bit much and the fisherman accused should know the la but how is it that DEC will crack down on fisherman and not other BIGGER fish?!
In Gerritsen Beach the DEC wastes their time going after people who was their cars on their street because it washes into the creek while SSJ Development, ETO and Stephen Jemal get a free pass, for refusing to clean the docks and the boats that have been sinking!
Yesterday a boat that was docked at Stephen Jemals property was floating around unattended, bumping into docks and other boats. Harbor patrol was able to secure the boat and returned it to a slip on the Jemals property.
Our good friends Stephen Jemal and ETO have been up to no good lately.
First, A boat sank while docked on Stephen Jemals property at the old riveria marina and as a result the gas and oil leaked into the creek. The coast guard was notified and filed a report. Separately, On the same property a sailboat dry docked flipped over and is resting on a utility pole.
Then, the docks that were supposed to be cleared away or face stiff fines from the DEC, have started to float away and have now have ended up at various parts in the creek becoming navigable hazards.
Even more horribly an ETO worker was seriously injured, while working for ETO, receiving 35 stitches in his forehead and is facing personal bankrupcy, due to the resulting medical bills.
Looks like ETO has turned out to be a disaster on the property.
Update 10/29/09 -Â Â Email from Greg Moss Director of ETO:
Your recent article “ETO Creek Disaster” is grossly inaccurate and we would like you to make the necessary edits.
“First, A boat sank while docked on Stephen Jemals property at the old riveria marina, as a result the gas and oil leaked into the creek. The coat guard was notified and filed a report. On the same property a sailboat that flipped over and is resting on a utility pole.”
This boat had nothing to do with the ETO – there must be other people that were given permission to use the property.
“Then, the docks, that were supposed to be cleared away or face fines, have started to float away and have ended up at various parts in the creek becoming navigable hazards.”
We haven’t began or anticipate beginning any work on these docks.
“Even more horribly, an ETO worker was seriously injured, while working for ETO, receiving 35 stitches in his forehead and now no one is helping him out with his medicial bills or taking responsibility for his injury. The worker has called Jemals office with no response.”
This person had no affiliation to the ETO (and you misspelled “medical” in your article.)
I appreciate what you are trying to do here and your website is a great way for the Gerritsen Beach community to stay current with events. However, if you want to be a quality investigative reporter you should really do you homework before publishing anything.
Before I get into the debate itself lets answer why the heated debate happened in the first place. To be blunt there has a deep distrust with (ETO) Environmental Task Force Operations with local communities. There have been good reasons floating around for this distrust.
First, they are a spin off of Special Projects Management Operation Clean Bay, which has a very shady past. It was formed by National Park Rangers and staff of the Gateway National Recreation Area to clean up abandoned boats in Jamaica Bay. Needless to say it ended very badly. Whenever the term “pending litigation” has to come into play, you know its going to be bad. Basically the Park Rangers boat captains are all suing each other.
Secondly and mainly, ETO has had an ongoing relationship with Knapp Street and Lacon Ct property developer Stephen Jemal. To be blunt again, What is planned to be built by Jemal at at Lacon Court will destroy Gerritsen Beach, if not cause irreparable harm.
As you may be aware, some in the community as well as GB.net has been keeping close tabs on the Jemal developments. Recently, Jemal was ordered to clean up the docks at Lacon Court by the NYS DEC, if he did not comply he was going to be fined $10,000 a day.
ETO then, seemed to step in last minute and took over conversations with the DEC on behalf of Stephen Jemal. Jemal has not been fined since ETO stepped in.
The ETO-Jemal relationship in a nutshell: in exchange for free rent on Lacon Ct ETO would maintain 4 properties for Jemal and take over corresponding with the DEC. The property maintenance may or may not be a good thing, it depends on how you look at it, they are trimming, leveling soil, more or less cleaning the empty lot. This is all great and wonderful, but it does not help with the perceived distrust.
On to the debate!
Bill Dumphy (Gerritsen Resident, and ETO board member)confronted the GBPOA to “clear up bad reports”.
Mr. Bill Dumphy had again summed up ETO’s role in Gerritsen Beach specifically in the waterways and on Stephen Jemals lot. He stated that they are on his property because they were kicked off their previous location, literally across the creek at the sewer plant DEP, because of allegations made by a former operation clean bay member.
He stated that in the last two months he personally removed 8 boats from the creek, totaling 150 so far removed by their organization. Apparently ETO did this all for free and was expensed out of pocket.
George Broadhead, President GBPOA, is not taking issue with the work ETO does, stating he strongly believes in free enterprise. He argued that ETO stepped in last minute just when the community had them on the ropes.
Bill interjected multiple times and made it a point that ETO sent a letter to DEC urging them to fine Jemal for non compliance. Yelling “Fine the slimeball…wont affect us“. “We aren’t doing Jemal any favors.”
After contacting ETO to see what they thought about the meeting, Greg Moss President of ETO stated that no more than two weeks after GB.nets initial post, their relationship with SSJ development stared to go sour. ETO was trying to secure a contract that gave them permissions to be on the land and to also remove the docks for Jemal. However, SSJ kept pushing back and postponing meetings to secure the contract to the point where ETO felt they might of been used by SSJ to delay the impending $10,000 a day fine. As a result ETO sent a email to the DEC stating that Jemal has no intention of coming into compliance and DEC has to do what it needs to do.
They are currently looking for a new spot to relocate.
Last night’s Gerritsen Beach Property Owners meeting was interesting to say the least. Â There were some exciting exceptions to the normal boring meeting.
First of course the 61st precinct spoke, reminded us of the ATVs, Quads, speeding but also that fireworks are illegal and that they will not be tolerated. Gerritsen beach is their worst area when it comes to fireworks because of that they have requested sky watch again this year, and everyone, including the captain, will be working the 4-12 tour for the extra man power.
Lew Fidler – Spoke about the flooding courts. Lew is not satisfied with the answer from DOT and DEP regarding the courts. “we are going to get them to the point where they are so sick of answering our questions and point out the problems… they will come in and do the repair they will prevent them from us having to call them“. Anyone who has a specific complaint should call Lews office directly.
Lew got told the crowd that he had provided $200,000 to fix the heating plant in 277. Also he secured funds to continuing the after school programs at 277, also the Parks Department will have $400,000 additionally to expand the tot lot at Seba Avenue Park. Calling the design “Really magnificent” He also secured $22,500 for GBCares and $12,500 Vollies.
Alan Maisel  - Spoke about White Island. How Parks will be putting layers of sand on tops of the island. There is a concern about the waste (it was a landfill) would seep out into the creek due to that pressure. He is currently having meetings with the DEC and Parks along with GBCares to keep the community apprised.
He also spoke about the Lacon Ct property the Knapp street property and jemals responsibilities with the DEC regarding cleaning up the sunken boats, and dock debris. DEC more than likely be ordering Jemal to have them removed.
On a lighter note Alan is now the Chairman of the Solid Waste commission, He told the speaker he was going to throw himself into it.
Some members of GBCares were present at the meeting and expressed concern over how  they feel GerritsenBeach.net is responsible for the current  condition of GBCares. If you don’t know, Currently GBCares as an unintended and indirect result of our post “How Many Wood Chips…” the NYC Parks Department suspended GBCares operations. One of the more important of the programs, their Saturday alternative sentencing/community service program, which maintains Gerritsen Avenue was also shut down. More specifically no gas powered or heavy machinery are now not allowed on the park land, which were essential to operations. Since then GBCares has sent letters requesting approval and is currently waiting for reapproveal. Until they get approval, which may happen within weeks, they are going to play it safe by not using hand tools on the weeds on Gerritsen Avenue.
The “debate” (above) that happened at the meeting was basically GBCares taking issue with anonymous commenting. More specifically they believe that the comments represent my personal opinion and that GerritsenBeach.net allows the comments. One said “It’s really terrible what his website is doing.” Another said “GerritsenBeach.net could be a positive influence but since the entire website cause problems, problems may be what he wants because it might bring in more revenue for him“. Revenue?!  Thats right they believe I am in it for the money. Full disclosure: Last month for the month of June I “earned” $69.66 which is around the average. $70 is not the reason GerritsenBeach.net attends these meetings and asks questions, or gets exposure for local news, or  sheds light on some problems.
In my opinion it comes down to the  right to freedom of the press, and your right as a commenter to comment without fear of retaliation. I have heard numerous times, from different people, some are heads of local organizations, that would love to know who some of you are so they can beat the hell out of you. Which is why I allow anonymous comments.
It seems as though maybe GBCares is refusing to participate in discussions on the website. When someone commented wrongly that GBCares allows criminals into our neighborhood with their program, they were upset that GB.net left the comment up, but more importantly they refused to clear up that issue.
To be perfectly clear, these saturday workers are not violent criminals, just “kids” that usually got a desk tickets.
In my opinion, I see the Gerritsen Beach Property Owners meeting as a forum, I also see GerritsenBeach.net as a forum. Both trying to BETTER the community. I have come to realize that the comments at the Property Owners meeting are sometimes just as harsh, inappropriate, and wrong, just as comments on GerritsenBeach.net.
Just because people can remain anonymous throws people into a tizzy, which consumes them. You really need to get over this. Either use the website to reach the neighborhood or don’t. However you must realize that a good number of people get their “news” from here. Rumors can fly if something is not addressed correctly.
John Douglas sums up the whole situation respectively.
For those that don’t know about what’s going on at Lacon Court at the end of Devon and Everette Avenues here is a quick recap.
What used to be danazs and the boat yard are gone, they are empty lots. They were purchased byStephen Jemal former owner of the the wiz. He is now a brooklyn waterfront land developer. He has bought up numerous waterfront properties all over south Brooklyn. He plans to develop his Knapp street and Lacon court property into luxury condos. He also just so happen to threaten to sue GerritsenBeach.net
Recently Jemal was ordered by the DEC to remove any docks, debris, or anything that will become a water hazard in front of his Lacon Court property. Keep this in mind.
There is now an organization called Environmental Taskforce Operations (ETO) that is run by Greg Moss, Perry Papadoupoulos, and Bill Dumphy. You can read more about them on their website (http://taskforceoperations.org/)
ETO has reached a lease agreement with Stephen Jemal to occupy the Lacon Court property for two years rent free. In exchange ETO will clean up & maintain all four of the Jemal properties (two outside GB).They will also be taking over communications with the DEC. They will remove any boat, dock, debris in the creek to come into compliance with the recent DEC order . It should be known that ETO will not be doing any construction on the properties this is just clean-up and maintenance.
They are also operating a surveillance program in the creek so if you own a boat or enter the creek you are more than likely being watched and recorded day and night. The goal of this operation is to see who is scuttling the boats in the creek.
So there you have it. ETO is our new neighbor, for at least the next two years, they are watching boat traffic, maintaining the property, all for our good friend Stephen Jemal.
