Southampton Town code enforcement officials this week charged a Southampton man with 50 misdemeanor code violations at six houses that he owns in Tuckahoe and North Sea after an investigation revealed that they were being illegally rented, sometimes to more than a dozen people on a short-term basis.
Southampton Town Chief Investigator David Betts said John Distefano was issued court appearance tickets for the charges after investigators visited the six properties—on North Magee Street, Sherwood Road and Fords Lane—over the last two weeks and found numerous violations of the town’s rental law, as well as fire, safety and building code violations.
At least five of the houses have never been issued certificates of occupancy or had undergone major renovations to divide them into multiple rental units, in violation of their certificates, according to the town.
The numerous other violations that Mr. Distefano was charged with include renting without a permit, transient renting, and building without a permit. Some of his houses had swimming pools, hot tubs, and volleyball and basketball courts added without the required building permits. Other houses had been converted from single-family to multi-family homes or had apartments added above a garage illegally. There were also charges for having an excessive number of vehicles parked at a property—town code allows only four per house—and for overflowing Dumpsters.
Mr. Betts said code enforcement investigators had visited each of the houses in recent weeks and interviewed the occupants—which he estimated at 10 to 15 people per home in some cases. He said most admitted to being renters and stated that Mr. Distefano was not living in any of them.
Mr. Distefano faces criminal punishment for the violations, including possible jail time, according to town officials. He is due to appear in Southampton Town Justice Court later this month.
Mr. Distefano could not be immediately reached for comment.
Mr. Betts said the codes that were violated are intended to protect the health and safety of people within the houses, as well as quality of life issues for neighbors.
“If you put 25 people in a four-bedroom house, people are sleeping where they’re not supposed to be sleeping—rooms without CO2 detectors or smoke detectors,” Mr. Betts said. “You can’t overcrowd a house and be safe.”
The investigation was spurred by complaints about illegal rentals at two of the houses, which led the town to investigate the other houses also owned by Mr. Distefano, Mr. Betts explained.
It would seem avarice knows no limit, even when it comes to the "locals"...
Perhaps the town should ask him to build in East Quogue, see how YOU like that!!
Kinda' moot, 'cause no one will know what we're talking about any longer...
Master Sergeant Retired
Edwin Gomez
It's been a LONG time coming.
So, while slum lording is a very bad thing, maybe we should wait until this is heard before we proclaim him the east end's worst criminal, 'ya think?
My dear, you well said.
Maybe Mr. Distefano can use whatever ...more influence he has in Town Hall to change the zoning to allow rooming houses i n his neighborhood. We don't don't want them here.
Many of those comments were posted for quite some time and, they seemed to me, to be honest opinions with no expletives or duplicate postings.
Could it be that there is some outside influence going on here regarding censorship of opinions.??
This is a valid question. I would appreciate it being posted.
Also I think these are her very first comments on 27 east. No?
When some people are earning 25 to 30 thousand dollars a year, the town's figure of 1500 to 2000 dollars a month for affordable housing seems a little bit absurd,but people and families still need to have a place to live and serve all the other folks making 20,0000 a month.John, I hope everything works out O.K. for you.
I ran out of fingers trying to count the number of words you can't spell correctly. Did somehow John get elected "Affordable, but crappy, Housing Chief"?
Facts appear to be that what he is renting out is substandard and without permits.
How do you justify what this guy does as bering different from the absentee landlords ( that apparently pay you) that you speak so lowly of?
The county sets rates for affordable housing - not the Town. Get your facts straight before pointing fingers.
The town won't issue a C/O on a house that either isn't in compliance (even with something as "small" as a wetland violation) or if there has never been a permit issued, because the property owner didn't submit the paper work. I know firsthand these ...more are some of the issues with his properties. He does what he wants when he wants to make $$$$ with no regard to the Town, the taxpayers or the renters whose health and safety he puts at risk.
His agenda was for his "client", and he to simply turn a profit, as niether of them are even involved with the house any longer. Developed, sold off, and "flipped" for a profit to line their already well lined pockets.
I used to have a beautiful sunrise through the master bedroom window, ...more and now I have a house in the way. I could have had a nice pavilion for family gatherings, but now I have a house on the lot next door. No more hunting salamanders, no more walking the deer trails, no more blueberries, no more wild rhododendrons, all gone, in the name of the "Almighty Dollar". I know who the "ONE" he bows down and serves is.
I don't know about how "generous" he has been to others, but his greed sure as hell took some precious things away from our family.
Anyone else have a wonderful experience with this gent?
Please post...