NJ Landlord To Pay Landmark $4.5M For Allegedly Demanding Sexual Favors From Tenants

A New Jersey landlord has agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a federal lawsuit after being accused of demanding sexual favors from his low-income tenants. The landmark agreement is the largest ever monetary settlement in a case alleging sexual harassment in housing, according to federal prosecutors.

Joseph Centanni, 74, owned hundreds of rental units across 18 residential properties in and around Elizabeth, New Jersey. He is accused of demanding sexual favors from dozens of his low-income tenants over the course of 15 years.

In exchange for the favors, he would reportedly offer them rent assistance and threaten them with eviction if they refused, according to NBC New York.

Centanni also allegedly touched his tenants and applicants inappropriately and made unwelcome sexual comments to them. The accusations against him include harassing women aged 22 to 61 and gay or bisexual men on different occasions between 2013 and 2020.

Investigators found that the landlord targeted tenants or applicants who were homeless, about to be evicted, or having financial problems.

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Centanni has agreed to pay $4.5 million, which will be distributed to the tenants who filed the case.

Along with the federal lawsuit, Centanni is also the center of other separate criminal prosecutions that are ongoing. He is facing multiple criminal sexual assault and attempted sexual assault charges, involving at least 20 tenants, filed in March in Union County.

Although Centanni has agreed to pay the settlement, his attorney Raymond Londa said he still does not admit to doing anything wrong, according to New York Post.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig of the District of New Jersey believes Centanni exploited a basic human need and said the settlement is part of law enforcement agencies’ commitment to tackling sexual harassment in housing.

“The need for housing is a basic human need,” Honig said. “Joseph Centanni exploited that need, and the important federal programs that attempt to meet it, by threatening to deny his victims a roof over their heads if they did not submit to his demands for sexual acts."

She continued, "This landmark settlement demonstrates our unyielding commitment to combat sexual harassment in housing and to ensure that no one is subject to discrimination because of their sex, including based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

“No one deserves to be victimized and preyed upon in their own home,” said Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “HUD OIG is committed to investigating with our law enforcement partners to pursue predatory landlords and hold them accountable for this egregious behavior and seek relief for victims.”