ELIZABETH, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A New Jersey landlord was arrested Friday morning “for allegedly coercing more than a dozen of his tenants into sexual acts in exchange for financial relief,” officials said.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office charged 73-year-old Joseph Centanni with eight counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of second-degree attempted sexual assault, and 14 counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact between 2016 into 2020, the prosecutor's office said.
Last August, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit claiming that Centanni violated the Fair Housing Act, which protects tenants from sexual harassment and retaliation by landlords, for allegedly having demanded sexual favors in exchange for housing for years.
Four alleged victims had previously accused Centanni of sexually assaulted them, NJ.com reported. Centanni allegedly sexually assaulted one woman after she lost her job and struggling to pay her rent amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a police report.
Centanni has not previously faced criminal charges but the prosecutor’s office alleges he targeted male and female tenants who were homeless, at the brink of eviction, or struggling financially.
Federal authorities accused Centanni of allegedly “demanding” sexual favors since at least 2005, and as recently as 2019 from actual and prospective tenants on multiple occasions in order to obtain housing, exposing his genitals, allegedly soliciting “quid pro quo,” sex acts from victims and offered them rent reductions, a delay in an eviction, or other forms of financial assistance if they went along with his demands, officials said.
The complaint alleges he would ask tenants “how bad do you want your apartment?” before taking them to an empty storage room where he allegedly exposed himself.
He allegedly also asked for oral sex laundry, or boiler rooms at his Elizabeth properties, or at a sample apartment unit meant to be shown to prospective renters, prosecutors said.
He also threatened tenants who “objected to or refused his sexual advances,” the lawsuit added.
According to the prosecutor’s office, some tenants obliged in order to maintain housing for their young children, authorities said.
“Because she felt like she had no choice, the tenant submitted to Centanni’s sexual demand,” the complaint says. “After this incident, Centanni allowed her to stay in her apartment.”
Centanni was involved in running 18 residential properties with hundreds of apartment units in North Jersey and took in over $100,000 a month from a federal housing program used by low-income tenants.
“Using a position of power and privilege to prey on the vulnerabilities and desperations of others is not just wrong – in this case it is also criminal,” Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in a statement.
Prosecutors “believe "there may be additional victims of Centanni who have yet to come forward,” urged anyone with information about Centanni’s activities to contact Detective Son of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office at 908-477-1698.