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.

Hey Buddy, Can you spare a few million?

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.

Some sailboats broke free in sheepshead bay some of which sunk.

[Sunk Sailboat in Sheepshead]

Jemals Property on Knap Street was hit hard too. We will give him a few days to repair the fencing before we start busting chops with coverage.

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.

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???

(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!

ETO raised up the boat today that sank off the Danza Stephen Jemals Property last week. The coast guard was on hand to observe the raising

The boat like any other boat that sinks in the creek caused a fuel spill in and around the area.

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.

Link to their story

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 -  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.

Greg Moss, Director