A New York City landlord has filed a lawsuit accusing a Section 8 tenant family of orchestrating a "shakedown" scheme to unlawfully retain possession of a Brooklyn apartment after they had moved out. Eretz One Realty alleges that Lipa and Mindje Spielman, along with their five children, used forged signatures and fake lease renewals to continue receiving rent subsidies for a unit they had vacated on March 31.
According to court documents filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, Eretz One Realty claims the Spielman family has refused to relinquish the apartment at 3715 15th Avenue in Borough Park unless they receive a substantial cash payout. The landlord states that the family moved to a new apartment but is still attempting to leverage the original unit for financial gain.
Eretz One Realty, which developed the six-story, 36-unit condominium building in 2009, states that the Spielman family moved into the unit in July 2012, paying a monthly rent of $2,100. Lipa Spielman was listed as the tenant and voucher participant, with Mindje Spielman allegedly involved in the scheme. The landlord decided not to renew the family’s lease in 2023 when Eretz sought to sell the unit.
However, the lawsuit claims the Spielmans submitted an unauthorized lease renewal to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) with forged Eretz signatures. This allegedly allowed them to maintain their voucher subsidies. Eretz asserts that in late 2024, NYCHA approved a rent increase to $3,400 per month, a request the landlord claims it never made. Gary Rosen, attorney for Eretz, stated that the husband submitted a phony lease to NYCHA, bearing his client’s forged signature.
Eretz’s attorney claims that despite notifying NYCHA’s general counsel of suspected forgeries in December 2024, the agency continued to pay subsidies. The lawsuit accuses NYCHA of ignoring fraud alerts and eventually issuing the Spielmans a voucher for a new apartment. Rosen suggested that NYCHA's process for verifying tenant information and lease renewals may be insufficient.
Mindje Spielman denied the allegations, telling The Post that they are false and that Eretz is using the courts to intimidate them. She stated that NYCHA paid the rent on their behalf, which she considers equivalent to them having paid it. She also claimed Eretz had promised them money in exchange for moving out, and that a neighbor had received $40,000.
The landlord is seeking a court order to nullify the allegedly fraudulent documents, compel NYCHA to correct its records, and obtain compensatory and punitive damages from the Spielmans for fraud, breach of lease, and unpaid rent. Eretz also seeks legal possession of the apartment. The landlord claims the family demanded $100,000 to vacate the premises, which Eretz refused, offering a $25,000 settlement that was also rejected.
A spokesperson for NYCHA declined to comment on the pending litigation. Eretz’s attorney explained that NYCHA could compel the tenants to relinquish the apartment if the agency is paying their rent at a new address, which is why NYCHA was named as a defendant in the suit.