NY Attorney General's Office files motion to pause eviction of East End family alleging deed fraud
A Suffolk County Supreme Court judge heard arguments Thursday on the Attorney General’s Office a motion to pause the eviction of an East End family that says they fell victim to deed fraud.
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The New York Attorney General’s Office stepped in to prevent an East Hampton family from being evicted after the family says they fell victim to deed fraud.
A Suffolk County Supreme Court judge heard arguments Thursday on the Attorney General’s Office’s motion to pause the eviction of the Amon family.
Juan Amon says he and his family faced a surprise eviction from their East Hampton home, even though they bought the home and acquired a deed for it.
"By the time we realized something was wrong, it was too late,” said Amon. "This home is the culmination of our life's work in this country."
Amon's attorney, Oscar Michelen, says the family fell victim to a deed fraud scheme at the hands of Michael O’Sullivan, an alleged East End property investor.
Michelen says the family mortgaged a home and got a deed from O'Sullivan's alleged business, Hampton Dream Properties, in 2020. He says the family put down an over $300,000 down payment on an $800,000 home that they never knew faced foreclosure.
"[O’Sullivan] is selling the home to a property that they know these people are not going to own because the bank is going to own it,” said Michelen.
He says O'Sullivan gave the family a deed to the home, but said during court proceedings Thursday that O’Sullivan kept the title and never intended to transfer it.
Michelen goes on to say that O’Sullivan then bought the home back from the bank following foreclosure, using another company called Mastic Development Properties.
"That is essentially the fraud,” he said. “Selling the house back to the person for more money, where now they're stuck because the foreclosure bank is going to throw them out or they get evicted."
During Thursday’s hearing, an attorney from the Attorney General’s Office said the office is investigating O’Sullivan and his businesses.
Ivan Young, an attorney for O'Sullivan, denied the claims.
"He did not commit any fraud. He did everything he did to benefit other people,” he said. "There was no sale."
Suffolk County public records show the family had a deed issued to them for the property.
The nonprofit OLA of Eastern Long Island says dozens of Latino families have had similar issues over the last decade.
“Mountains of victims that have come forward and more that are coming forward,” said Minerva Perez, OLA’s executive director. “Two new people have come forward to us last night.”
For Amon, he just hopes he is able to secure the home he has worked his whole life to buy for his family.
"I hope this can be resolved and that they can see we're within reason because we're the victims in this,” Amon says.
Michelen says they can stay in the home while a Suffolk County judge considers the attorney general's motion.
*Disclaimer: Quotes from Amon have been translated from Spanish.*
