Crime & Safety

Holbrook Property Owner Arrested for Unlawfully Collecting STAR Exemptions

Town of Brookhaven Quality of Life Task Force aided in discovering this error.

A property owner in Holbrook was arrested in May thanks to the Town of Brookhaven Quality of Life Task Force.

The owner of a rental property at 37 Lisa Ct. was collecting a STAR exemption at Lisa Court in addition to his residence at 1396 Broadway in Holbrook, which is located in the Town of Islip.

The Quality of Life Task Force notified Suffolk County Police, who found that more than three years of STAR exemptions were claimed unlawfully. Suffolk Police arrested the property owner for Grand Larceny in the third degree.

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The property owner had previously been issued appearance tickets for allegedly converting his garage and home, into an illegal two-family house, according to the Town of Brookhaven.

"Once again, our Quality of Life Task Force did a thorough and comprehensive job of investigating, issuing violations and following up," said Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko. "Let it be a message to people who violate the Town codes that we will do everything in our power to stop all illegal activity and prosecute those who are guilty to the fullest extent of the law.

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Identifying and prosecuting an individual who illegally converted their home and used it to commit tax fraud is just another example of the good work this Task Force is doing."

"This action is further proof of how our Quality of Life Task Force can make a difference in the community," said Councilman Tim Mazzei, who represents the 5th district where the property is located. "Through their diligence and hard work, violators are learning quickly that we will not tolerate those who break the law and jeopardize the safety and well-being of our residents."

Islip Town has also been notified of the findings. A Declaration of Delinquency is currently in the process of being activated against the property owner for failure to comply with his District Court Conditional Discharge.

Formed in 2009 to aggressively enforce town building codes, the Quality of Life Task Force takes on the worst-of-the-worst violators across Brookhaven Town.


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