Friday, June 2, 2017

Reader report: A buyer for 119 and 121 2nd Ave., site of the deadly gas explosion?



Yesterday afternoon, an EVG reader spotted a survey crew on the site of the deadly gas explosion from March 2015 on Second Avenue at Seventh Street.

One of the workers said that they were surveying the site ... and said they were there representing the buyer of 119 Second Ave. and 121 Second Ave.

Back on March 26, the Post reported that landlord Maria Hrynenko was poised to sell her now-empty lots at No. 119 and 121, which could potentially jeopardize the settlements of the victims.

Maria Hrynenko, 57, appears ready to cash out on her valuable Second Avenue properties before the criminal case against her goes to trial and as the civil actions wend their way through the courts...

Hrynenko could rake in at least $12 million, based on the sale price of a neighboring lot, if she sells both her parcels.

So far, nothing has appeared in public records noting a sale. However, the sight of a survey crew shows that something is afoot with the properties.

According to the Post, a broker working with Hrynenko recently contacted the new owner of the lot at 123 Second Ave., who paid $6 million for the property. (The previous owner of No. 123, George Pasternak, was not implicated for any wrongdoing connected to the explosion.) The broker reportedly said they had a buyer interested in purchasing all three lots. However, the new owner, Ezra Wibowo, declined the offer.

More than two dozen lawsuits have been filed against Hrynenko, her companies — MAH Realty and Kiev Realty — the city, Con Edison and other defendants.

Per the Post:

Lawyers for the victims say it would be virtually impossible to stop a sale — as long as it’s for market value and not to a straw buyer — and that the potential $12 million-plus windfall could be difficult to locate.

“Let’s say she sells the property and takes the cash and stashes it away in the Canary Islands, there’s no way for us to recoup that,” said Marius Wesser, a lawyer for Machendra Chongbang. The Nepalese immigrant was a chef at Sushi Park and was badly injured when he was blown into the basement.

In February 2016, the DA charged Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter. The Hrynenkos as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis, have pleaded not guilty. There have not been any updates on when this case might go to trial.

Investigators have said that an illegally tapped gas line at 121 Second Ave. may have caused the blast that killed two men and injured a few dozen other people... as well as destroyed three buildings — 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.

News came out this week that the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street will be co-named Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa Way for the two victims of the gas explosion.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Maria Hrynenko looking to sell 2nd Avenue properties destroyed in deadly gas explosion

5 comments:

blue gass said...

i would think that some NOT politically corrupted connected legal mind could find strong standing for a restraining order or temporary restraining order, or injunction or whatever their legal genius can present to, at the very least, delay the sale while the families complete their intervention of standing and the need to protect their interests while the criminal trial proceeds.
the families of Locon and Figueroa certainly are the injured parties. naming a street is not sufficient recognition of that fact.
the criminal trial alone should be grounds for a lien or something.

Gojira said...

I still find it impossible to believe that there is NO WAY to freeze the profit from a sale of these cursed properties. There should be a lawyer representing the victims at the closing in order to track them.

Anonymous said...

This land should not be rebuilt. It should be kept as a shrine, possibly as a memorial and a park with benches and trees with plaques for the two young men who died, and all of those who lost their homes. Don't rebuild!

Anonymous said...

I don't understand how it's been two years and the case hasn't even started, or how these properties can't be frozen until the case is settled

East Villager said...

It's about time. It should be used for affordable housing.