Saparn Realty vice president Alan Gorelick was indicted Wednesday for stealing nearly $611,000 from Harway Terrace, a Mitchell-Lama housing complex in Brooklyn, in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday.
Gorelick is charged with grand larceny in the second degree and criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, according to a release from District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.’s office. He began depositing money that passed through Saparn’s hands as managing agent of Harway Terrace in December of 2006, depositing the money into the company business account instead of the building’s, according to court documents cited in the release. Among the funds were checks to Harway at the closing of an apartment sale, rent and maintenance checks. Saparn allegedly then provided falsified bank statements to Harway Terrace that made no mention of the illegal deposits and transfers.
“Affordable housing in New York is a vital but scarce resource, which must be stewarded with honesty and integrity,” District Attorney Vance said in a release. “This defendant is accused of stealing from not just a residential building, but also from the taxpayers, who subsidize affordable housing through our city’s Mitchell-Lama program.”
In addition to the nearly $611,000 from Harway Terrace, which Gorelick allegedly used to fund business expenses, dining out, clothing, travel, car leases and charitable contributions, he is also suspected of stealing an additional $2 million more from at least 30 other buildings, according to court documents cited by the New York Observer.
Gorelick, who runs Saparn along with his wife Anita Sapirman, serves as the company’s banking community liaison and heads up sales and mortgage brokerage. [NYO] — Julie Strickland