Clarkstown illegal house facing thousands of dollars in fines now up for sale for $575,000

CLARKSTOWN - A single-family home illegally converted to house dozens of immigrants has been shut down and put up for sale for $575,000, town officials and real estate websites say.

Clarkstown officials cracked down on the Monsey landlord with legal action that will force him to remove interior construction that created rooms and unsafe living conditions. Officials said children were among those living in a garage, attic, and an unfinished basement.

Supreme Court Justice Thomas Zugibe ordered the owner, Sholamei Koppel, to convert the house at 295 New Hempstead Road back to a single-family status.

Koppel already has been fined $23,000 for violations found at a house he owns at 8 Funston Ave., in Spring Valley.

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Koppel is scheduled for a Clarkstown Justice Court appearance on Jan. 2, a proceeding separate from the Supreme Court case. The town will ask for $15,000 to $20,000 in fines if Koppel pleads guilty to multiple violations, according to Deputy Town Attorney Kevin Conway, who is prosecuting the code violations.

Koppel already has removed the overcrowded conditions by forcing out up to 34 people who were paying rent. Conway said.

"This was a successful conclusion because they removed the main concern of the over occupancy," Conway said. "Now we're dealing with ensuring a return to a single-family house."

Conway said the town would ask for substantial fines because "it would appear they were making a lot of money" on the boarding house.

"An appropriate fine would help discourage those violations in the future," Conway said.

Koppel and his attorney have declined comment, even after court sessions before Zugibe, who approved Clarkstown's request to prohibit the illegal housing and convert the house back to a single-family residence.

Koppel's attorney Chris Riley of White Plains, stated in court papers and to Zugibe's questions that Koppel is not contesting the violations. He told the judge that Koppel claimed he had been unaware of the overcrowding and added bedrooms at the house.

Conway said the Building Department will re-inspect the house to ascertain the progress, if any, toward taking down the walls.

Inspectors find multiple violations

Inspectors found eight bedrooms and 16 beds, including three people sharing one of the beds. In addition to overcrowding, violations found include blocked egresses, electrical hazards, illegal conversions, and missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

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Supervisor George Hoehmann said the town inspectors and attorneys acted aggressively to shut down illegal housing violating zoning. The town worked to shut down an illegal dormitory school on South Mountain Road by going to the Supreme Court and is before Zugibe on five properties overseen by a management company that also worked for Koppel.

Hoehmann said 295 New Hempstead Road was used as a "flop house," a way station for the people on their way to another residence.

Officials claimed that migrants settling in houses involved the religious community supporting landlords and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration denied any connection. The Adams administration first tried moving migrants into hotels in Rockland and other suburban counties, only to be blocked by Rockland and other counties in court.

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Clarkstown has cases before Zugibe involving five of 17 properties overseen by the same management company that worked for Koppel at the house on New Hempstead Road.

"We have multiple houses we're looking at," Hoehmann said, adding the town has hired two code enforcers and is looking to employ a sixth, including a Spanish speaker.

He said blocking the boarding house cut into the financial feasibility of the owner.

"The house is up for sale so obviously they saw how we handled this and decided they wanted to move on," Hoehmann said. "Hopefully, a good family will come and buy it and become part of the community and not abuse the community."

Koppel, 29, also owns two properties in Spring Valley, according to village assessment rolls: 194-196 Main St., a two-family residence, is listed to Shloima Koppel with a market value of $290,215; and 8 Funston Ave., a single-family residence, is listed to Shloma, spelled a different way, Koppel, with a market value of $285,240.

Koppel bought the one-acre property at 95 New Hempstead Road, New City, was purchased on Nov. 11, 2022, for $470,000, according to Rockland County Clerk's Office records.

The 1,552-square-foot house is on the market for $575,000 and is described as having four bedrooms, two bathrooms, family and living rooms, a patio, and a single-car garage.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Clarkstown house facing thousands in fines up for sale for $575,000