Union County landlord indicted on 42 counts of sex-for-rent charges
ELIZABETH - A Mountainside man who owns hundreds of rental units in Elizabeth has been indicted on 42 counts of committing sexual offenses against 30 tenants over a number of years.
Joseph Centanni, 75, was indicted Dec. 15 on 23 counts of sexual assault, a second-degree crime and 19 counts of criminal sexual contact, a fourth-degree crime, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said.
The alleged crimes took place from 2013 to 2020, with male and female victims ranging in age from 22 to 61. Centanni, who owns units in 18 residential properties in Elizabeth was arrested in June 2021.
Centanni remains free on court-ordered pretrial monitoring pending the outcome of his case, according to the prosecutor's office.
An investigation by the Elizabeth Police Department and led by the Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit, found Centanni allegedly targeted tenants and prospective tenants who were homeless, about to be evicted, or struggling financially, according to Special Victims Unit Supervisor and Assistant Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor, who is prosecuting the case.
Centanni allegedly solicited sex acts from his victims as a quid pro quo, agreeing to offer them rent reductions, a delay in an eviction, or other forms of financial assistance in exchange.
He also allegedly threatened tenants who hesitated or refused his advances with eviction or other retaliatory measures, according to the prosecutor's office.
The victims would meet Centanni in his office on the 200 block of West Jersey Street in downtown Elizabeth, and the alleged sex acts took place in laundry, storage or boiler rooms at his properties or in a sample apartment shown to prospective renters, according to the prosecutor's office.
The indictment is not the only legal trouble facing Centanni. He is being sued by seven women and one man who allege he demanded sexual acts from them.
In one lawsuit, a woman whose husband was terminally ill, alleged that Centanni demanded oral sex from her in order to rent an apartment.
In another lawsuit, a woman charged Centanni demanded oral sex from her when her rent was late or short. When she refused, Centanni started eviction proceedings, the lawsuit alleges.
Last year Centanni agreed to pay $4.5 million to resolve a federal Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging he sexually harassed tenants and prospective tenants for more than 15 years.
The payment is the largest monetary settlement the Department of Justice has obtained in a case alleging sexual harassment in housing.
He also was ordered to pay a $107,050 civil penalty to the United States, the maximum civil penalty allowed under the Fair Housing Act.
Centanni, who participated in the Section 8 federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, received about $102,000 a month in Housing Choice Voucher payments. He has sold all his residential rental properties and, according to the settlement, is barred from owning and managing residential rental properties.
The ongoing Union County investigation into Centanni’s activities has been led by Special Victims Unit Detective Joanne Son, and assisted by Elizabeth Police Department Detective Louis Demondo, Special Agent Khela Vazquez of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Civil Rights Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Joanne Son at 908-477-1698.
Staff writer Mike Deak contributed to this article.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Union County landlord indicted on 42 counts of sex-for-rent charges
