642 E. 14th St. as seen in December 2023
A construction company owner has pleaded guilty to stealing wages from engineers and laborers working on a city-funded emergency project and has repaid the workers in full, the Manhattan D.A.'s Office announced last week.
Anthony Martucci, 60, owner of Tuccimar, Inc. in Westchester County, admitted to underpaying six workers — three professional engineers and three laborers — during a project on East 14th Street in late 2023.
As part of his plea to one count of petit larceny, a misdemeanor, Martucci paid $36,786 in restitution and agreed to a three-year ban on receiving New York City contracts.
The case centers on emergency stabilization work at 642 E. 14th St., a 16-unit building where nearly 30 tenants
were forced to evacuate just days after Thanksgiving 2023. On Nov. 28, 2023, the Department of Buildings ordered tenants to vacate after excavation work on Madison Realty Capital's (MRC) neighboring
24-story tower compromised 642's foundation, resulting in severe structural cracks.
The tenants, displaced from their homes at the start of the holiday season, were placed in city shelters while the city worked to stabilize the building.
Having submitted the lowest bid, Martucci's company was awarded the emergency shoring contract by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in December 2023. Work on the building began on Dec. 16 and was completed by mid-January 2024.
However, according to prosecutors, Tuccimar submitted certified payrolls that falsely stated all workers had been paid, while sign-in logs confirmed their hours on-site.
One underpaid engineer received payment during the investigation, but the remaining five workers were still owed more than $36,000. Martucci repaid that amount to the D.A.'s Office last month as part of the plea agreement.
"With this resolution, hardworking New Yorkers will be paid what they rightfully earned," District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "The unscrupulous owner of a construction company will not be able to bid on City contracts for three years."
The state of 642 E. 14th St.
Meanwhile, the full demolition order from 642's landlord,
reportedly Second Avenue Deli owner Jeremy Lebewohl, remains on hold, dated from last July 18, as per DOB records.
His lawyers told the
Times last November that the costs to make necessary repairs exceed the building's value.
For their part, 644's developer, MRC, cast blame next door, telling the Times that "the landlord had neglected the property and did not support Madison's efforts to make the building structurally sound."
As for the tenants at 642 who had rent-stabilized apartments, the
Cooper Square Committee worked with MRC to find units in its portfolio of East Village properties.
One of the former 642 tenants recently told EVG that they were initially given temporary lease agreements for four months, commencing at the end of February 2024, with the actual leaseholds set to begin on July 1, 2024.
As we reported
here, Madison Realty Capital is now in foreclosure on Raphael Toledano's one-time 17-building portfolio.
So once again, the 642 residents find themselves facing an uncertain housing future.
Any assistance from local elected officials? After a
December 2023 rally, they've moved on, the tenant said.
Meanwhile, next door to 642, here's a look at MRC's 24-floor story residential building at 644 E. 14th St.,
called The East, set to open in the fall...
As far as the 642 tenant knew, none of the former residents had been offered any of 644's 197 units.
Previously on EV Grieve:
