NewsWhore
07-21-2009, 07:30 PM
Fernando Mateo, the former Bloomberg campaign advisor on Latin Affairs and advisor on taxi-related issues, told reporters that he was cheated in a real estate deal in Harlem that saw his US$3.8 million of his fortune go up in smoke. Millionaire Mateo said that he and his wife Stella are practically penniless after they used their life savings to purchase an apartment building at 2141 Lenox Avenue from a man who falsely claimed to be the property's landlord.
"I have worked for 30 years. This was very painful", said Mateo, a native of the Dominican Republic, and founder of the popular movement Hispanics Across America. "I hope that justice is done through the courts", he said. In a lawsuit presented on 1 July in the Manhattan Supreme Court, Mateo said that he had lost "virtually all of his assets" in the alleged project.
Mateo, 51, who lives in the Westchester suburb of Irvington, is known for his community programs, including one that taught inmates at Rikers Island how to install rugs, do plumbing and become electricians. Mateo is also famous for his program of exchanging guns for toys in New York City. Last year, he and his business partner Peter Skyllas, had talked about getting into the business of real estate, when this "great opportunity" presented itself, according to Mateo, who is the president of the New York State Taxi Federation. He was introduced to the real estate business by Skyllas.
But the building was never for sale. Skyllas had been tricked by Henry Vargas, according to Mateo's allegations in the court documents. Vargas supposedly told Skyllas and other potential investors that he and his family were the owners of 90% of the shares of the building in Harlem. The agreement came crashing down when a real estate broker began to contact tenants and the owner of the building, Manuel Duran, who proved that he was the owner of the building since 1997.
Mateo is asking for US$10 million in damages. Skyllas is not named in the lawsuit. Vargas could not be reached for comments.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#13)
"I have worked for 30 years. This was very painful", said Mateo, a native of the Dominican Republic, and founder of the popular movement Hispanics Across America. "I hope that justice is done through the courts", he said. In a lawsuit presented on 1 July in the Manhattan Supreme Court, Mateo said that he had lost "virtually all of his assets" in the alleged project.
Mateo, 51, who lives in the Westchester suburb of Irvington, is known for his community programs, including one that taught inmates at Rikers Island how to install rugs, do plumbing and become electricians. Mateo is also famous for his program of exchanging guns for toys in New York City. Last year, he and his business partner Peter Skyllas, had talked about getting into the business of real estate, when this "great opportunity" presented itself, according to Mateo, who is the president of the New York State Taxi Federation. He was introduced to the real estate business by Skyllas.
But the building was never for sale. Skyllas had been tricked by Henry Vargas, according to Mateo's allegations in the court documents. Vargas supposedly told Skyllas and other potential investors that he and his family were the owners of 90% of the shares of the building in Harlem. The agreement came crashing down when a real estate broker began to contact tenants and the owner of the building, Manuel Duran, who proved that he was the owner of the building since 1997.
Mateo is asking for US$10 million in damages. Skyllas is not named in the lawsuit. Vargas could not be reached for comments.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#13)