A Personal Message From Your Neighborhood Blogger And A Challenge To Each Of Us

Carroll Park in Carroll Gardens, Fall 2017

Dear Readers,
I have been so, so incredibly touched by all the congratulatory emails, comments on this blog and on PMFA's Twitter and Facebook  page after news broke that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's indictment against President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort included the very questionable financing of Manafort's Carroll Gardens property at 377 Union Street.

In February 2017,  a tip from a resident living a few doors down from Manafort's investment property led me to  investigate its ownership and financing, and to publish the unusual findings in a post on this blog. We now know that Manafort stands accused of using this and other real estate holdings to launder money.

It has been quite nice to get so much recognition for my investigation from the press in the past few days. Yet, it is my community's generous response that made me feel incredibly proud to be living amongst you.

I have been writing about issues in Carroll Gardens, Gowanus and the surrounding area for almost ten years now.  Pardon Me For Asking is a labor of love, a give-back to a neighborhood that I adore and which welcomed me thirty-two years ago, when I moved here as a young bride.
It is also my attempt to keep my neighbors informed on important issues that affect all of us.

Much has been made of the "blogger who brought down Paul Manafort."  I understand the appeal of that storyline, but I blush when people call me an inspiration, a local hero. You see, I prefer to focus everyone's attention on the importance of staying involved in one's community and to speak up when something seems amiss.

I believe that if we work hard to make our neighborhoods great, we will end up with a better country. If we elect truthful and honorable local politicians, we have a better chance of having trustworthy representation in Washington.  If we call out special interests in our own communities, their lobbying efforts may not influence on the national stage. Developers will only take advantage of our city if we let them. Crooks will get away with their crimes only if not exposed.

So here is a challenge to all of us.  Let's pledge to:
-get to know who is representing us on our Community Board and let us attend one of its meetings.
-each identify and get involved with at least one issue that we care about, be it the rezoning of the Gowanus Canal area, the cleanup of the canal, transportation, parks, schools, the loss of our mom-and-pop stores...
-get to know our local politicians and tell them truthfully (and respectfully) how we feel and how they can help make our community better.
-We need to revive the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association or form a new one. We have been without a neighborhood organization for far too long.
-Remember, without a voice, we will not be heard, so let's use ours.
-Most importantly, let's get to know our neighbors.

We are all capable of being local heroes and inspirations to others. Let's do this!


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One Of Paul Manafort's Carroll Gardens Neighbor Is Raising Money To Turn His Brownstone Into A Women's Shelter

The Union Street Women's Shelter? That may be the most fitting future for Paul Manafort's Carroll Gardens brownstone at 377 Union Street.
Susanna Williams, a neighbor of President Trump's former campaign manager has started a crowdfunding page to raise $4,435,082 to attempt to turn the four story building into a safe place and to 'honor women who persist.'
Susanna writes:
Thank you for your interest in this project! I'm a citizen, just like you. I live down the street from this house. Now, to be perfectly honest, I doubt we'll be able to buy this and go forward with the shelter idea (not to mention the difficulty of navigating New York City government), but I think raising some money to contribute to women's shelters that are doing great work is the next best thing.Please join us!

There may be quite a few more obstacles since 377 Union Street and its dubious financing has been included in the indictment by Special Council Robert Mueller against Manafort. It is likely that the brownstone will be tied up in litigation for quite some time.

That being said, according to The Real Deal, two Corcoran agents apparently have a contract to sell the brownstone. The agents were researching comparable properties in the area to come up with a sticker price as far back as June. (The article mentions $8 or $9 millions for the house)

So far, only $200 have been raised, but the fundraiser only started today. Care to donate?

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Look! Paul Manafort's Now Infamous Carroll Gardens Brownstone Has Been Designated A Landmark

 photo credit: Daniel L

  photo credit: Daniel L

photo credit: Daniel L

photo credit: Reader M.

Look! 377 Union Street, Paul Manafort's Carroll Gardens brownstone has just been designated a landmark... overnight.  A sign attached to the brownstone reads:

"The House That Brought Down A President"

377 Union Street will forever be known as the building that lead to the collapse of the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Originally acquired by Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort in January 2017, this building's finances would later become the foundation for initial charges of money laundering and conspiracy against the United States of America. Under the direction of special counsel Robert S. Mueller, III, these central criminal indictments were the "tip of the iceberg" in the federal investigation of collusion, conspiracy and other illegal activities by Donald J. Trump and his associates.

Thought to be originally but in 1899, 377 Union Street is constructed 22' x 45' on a 90' lot in the classic brownstone style of the Carroll Gardens area.

New York City Landmark Preservation Foundation, 2017."

Of course, this brownstone and its questionable financing is now part of an indictment against Manafort, which was handed down by Special Council Robert Mueller yesterday.

I don't know who is responsible for this sign, but it is brilliant. Respect! (If it's you, send me an email and I'll buy you a drink.)

Thanks to Reader M. and Daniel L for making me aware of this.

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Paul Manafort, A Carroll Gardens Brownstone, And A Little Neighborhood Blog

 

377 Union Street, Paul Manafort's Carroll Gardens Investment in September 2017.

Part on the Indictement against Paul Manafort 

On this day, I am glued to the news just like all of you, I can imagine.
Back in early 2017, I ran a little post entitled "Washington Lobbyist And Trump Advisor Paul Manafort Owns Brownstone In Carroll Gardens."
It focused on the veteran Republican strategist and Donald Trump's former presidential campaign manager's investment property at 377 Union Street. What began as a blog story of a neglected brownstone that irked neighbors led to a look at ownership and public records related to finances.
What Pardon Me For Asking uncovered in February 2017 was that Manafort had taken out mortgages way beyond the value of the property, which raised some interesting questions.
The press got a hold of the story, dug deeper, and now 377 Union Street and its shady financing is included in today's indictment of Manafort.

Don't they say that all news is local?  I still would love to know who directed Paul Manafort to Carroll Gardens? What was it about our neighborhood that made him want to invest in Carroll Gardens. How many other New York City properties have been used to launder money?
We live in interesting times, don't we?

A huge 'Thank You' to all of you who have been reaching out all morning to acknowledge Pardon Me For Asking's tiny part in this story.



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A Carroll Gardens Life: Before It Was Paul Manafort's Investment Property, 377 Union Street In Carroll Gardens Was The Beloved Home Of The Macaluso and Gianquinto Family

377 Union Street between Smith and Hoyt Streets in February 2017

Paul Manafort's investment property at 377 Union Street in 2017

a sketch of the brownstone by Brooklyn Heights artist Robert Gruivel
commissioned by a member of the Macalusos and Gianquintos

Matriarch and Patriarch Gianquinto

Great Aunt Mary Gianquinto

Marriage of Joseph Macaluso and Angela GianquintoJoseph Macaluso with infant Joan and Dolores 1932Joseph and Angela Macaluso at the beach with their familyCarol Ashton, Dolores Kendal, Lois Khatchadourian, Joan Cuttitta, Joseph Macaluso.
Joseph Macaluso, Dolores, Carole and Joe 1940
Joan Macaluso Cuttitta's  prom 1940.
Dolores and Joan on their second prom.
Joan Macaluso Cuttitta with Great-Grandmother Katherine
The Gianquinto Cousins standing in front of the brownstone
Ted Cuttitta and Joan Macaluso wedding St. Agnes 1952
More cousins in 1960

Tedd Cuttitta, Joan Macaluso Cuttitta's sonAngela Macaluso in the parlorJoseph and Angela Macaluso
Four generations of the family at a get-together a few years ago
The Brooklyn Paper July 29-August 11, 1981
Angela Macaluso in her own words

In recent weeks, the circa 150 year old brownstone at 377 Union Street in Carroll Gardens has garnered national attention as one of Paul Manafort's  New York City investment property because of its rather questionable financing.
The current ownership of the building came to light a few weeks ago, when a Union Street neighbor told PMFA that Donald Trump's former campaign manager and high level advisor had left the house and its front yard in a rather sad state after renovation was halted a year-and a half ago.

Among the many comments left by readers on the post, one in particular caught my attention.  It was left by Cathy Fleck, whose family once owned this once majestic brownstone.
Cathy wrote:
"This story has another side which makes it more personal. 377 Union Street was our family's beloved home for generations. This is the home where my great-grandparents lived, where my grandparents raised five incredible children. My grandmother was meticulous with its upkeep. This home is where my cousins and I were taught our family's history through rich storytelling, rich food, and rich imaginations. This is the home whose walls still contain our love and our laughter. This is the home of the Macalusos and Gianquintos! This story is heartbreaking!"

Of course,  I immediately reached out to Cathy to learn more about her family and about its ties to 377 Union Street. In the process, I had the pleasure of not only communication with her, her sister Lois Cuttitta, but also with her mother Joan Macaluso Cuttitta, who was not only born in the brownstone, but was also married there.  At 85 years old, Joan is now the Elder of the family.

Joan and her daughters Lois and Cathy have keen memories of the family home.  The Macaluso and Gianquinto family bought the brownstone in the late 1920s, early 1930s.  Lois and Cathy's great-grandparents lived on the top floor, their great-aunt lived on the second floor, their grand-parents lived on the garden level.  The parlor, according to Lois, was used by everyone.

Joan remembers the height of the ornate plaster ceilings, the marble mantlepieces, the heavy parlor floor doors and the magnificent mahogany bar in the basement that had been left behind by a previous owner, when the basement had served as a speak-easy during the Prohibition.

"Ahh the parlor." Lois remembers. "I used to dance in front of that mirror by the windows as a little girl every time I was there. The chandelier is the original. Most of the pictures of people gathered were in this very room. Push button light switches, and how heavy the front doors were. I remember sleeping on a trundle bed in front of those massive windows in the summer with some of my cousins. Oddly enough, the smell of bus exhaust brings back the greatest memories to me (Bus exhaust! Can you imagine?). I also remember the sound of the banana man hawking his bananas as he pushed his cart down the street." 

As members of the family moved to the suburbs in the 1960s, grandmother Angela Macaluso kept the clan together. On Sundays, the family would gather at 377 Union Street. " There would be 20 to 30 people over for dinner in that house. On holidays, it would easily be double that," Joan told me.
"From 90 to 2, every age would join in.  My mother Angela would cook for all of them.  She made it look easy. It was all out of love."

All three women use the word 'love' often when remembering the brownstone and the family gatherings. "It was a magical place filled with love," Lois told me. "It was such a wonderful life.  The house was well lived in, but my grandmother kept it in pristine shape. We are all still connected to this house. That is why it was so disturbing to see its present condition."

Grandmother Angela was not only a great cook, she went to St. Agnes every day and swept the sidewalk in front of the house twice a day.  She also had time to write poetry and, in 1981,  recalled what it was like living in Carroll Gardens when she was a child in a Brooklyn Paper article.

The family sold the brownstone in 1989-90 after Angela's husband Joseph passed away. "The moment we sold, we regretted it," Lois told me.  "We still think of it as our house.  It was a true gift to have been given such an incredible family and a home so full of happy memories."

Joan, Lois and Cathy want people to look at 377 Union Street not as the unkempt investment property it has become, but as the beloved home it was for many generations of Macalusos and Gianquintos. Most of all, they would like people to know about all the love, joy, and laughter that was shared within.

I am so honored that the family has allowed me to share some of their photos and their stories about 377 Union Street with my readers.

One day soon, I hope to meet the members of the extended family in person, hopefully when they come back for a visit to Carroll Gardens.  When I do, I will take lots of photos, I promise.

 Photo of 2012 sales listing,  courtesy of Corcoran

 Photo of 2012 sales listing,  courtesy of Corcoran

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Washington Lobbyist Paul Manafort Sends Crew To Remove Debris From Front Yard Of His Carroll Gardens Brownstone

 377 Union Street between Smith and Hoyt Streets in Carroll Gardens

The front garden of 377 Union Street with construction debris. 

Photo taken on February 16, 2017

 Clean-up in process at 377 Union Street earlier today

Last week, PMFA posted about 377 Union Street, a somewhat neglected brownstone in Carroll Gardens that happens to belong to Paul J. Manafort, Junior, the veteran Republican strategist and former national chairman to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.

A renovation on this property was started in 2013, but was halted a year-and-a-half ago and ever since, building materials, like rusty i-beams and cinderblocks, have been stored in the front yard.  A stop-work order has been taped to the front yard by the NYC Department of Buildings and neighbors have been complaining that no one ever shoveled the snow or sweeps the sidewalk in front of the home.

After PMFA posted about the neglect, several other web sites picked up the story. The New York Post even contacted Mr. Manafort. He told the Post that he had hired a new architect and that he was expecting “ to complete construction by the end of the year.”

Just today, a few workers did indeed show up at 377 Union Street and were cleaning up. A local resident who sent us several photos, was told by the crew that the rusted beams will be gone by tomorrow.  "Thank heavens!", the local resident told us.

However, that is only part of the story of 377 Union Street. There is, of course, a more troubling issue regarding the financing of this property.  Manafort bought the building under an L.L.C. in 2012 for $2,995,000. Just recently, the property was transferred from the LLC to Manafort.  Over the past several years, he has been able to secure financing that seems highly risky and rather questionable.  By now, the loans surpass the value of the home by several millions.

After spending some time confirming the records on ACRIS, PMFA posted some of the documentation on February 16. Others started to take a closer look, including attorneys Julian Russo and Matthew Termine. Just two days ago, they published their findings here: https://377union.atavist.com.
The information on the website is quite fascinating and seems to indicate that there may be something quite unusual with Manafort's Carroll Gardens investment property.


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Washington Lobbyist And Trump Advisor Paul Manafort Owns Brownstone In Carroll Gardens

Pardon me for asking, but could it be that Paul J. Manafort, Junior, the veteran Republican strategist and former national chairman to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, owns a brownstone in Carroll Gardens?
I happened to walk on Union Street between Smith Street and Hoyt Street yesterday afternoon, when I noticed construction debris and several notices taped to the front door of the building at 377 Union Street.
Coincidentally,  I caught up with a local resident who was walking in the same direction.  After exchanging a few pleasantries, the resident asked:
"Did you know that Paul Manafort owns a house on this block?"
Surprised, I confirmed that we were talking about the same Paul Manafort, one of President Trump's high level advisors, whose name has been mentioned in the news for the past few months and especially in the past several days.
"That's the one!  He owns number 377 Union Street," the resident told me

Of course I was intrigued.  Following the information that I was given, I started looking at public records for the brownstone.
Here are the details:
In late 2012, 377 Union Street was sold to MC Brooklyn Holdings, LLC for $2,995,000.
By 2013, the NYC Department Of Buildings approved an application to turn the four story, two family building into a one family home at an estimated cost of $527,900.00.

The DoB application lists the owner of 377 Union Street as Paul Manafort. The telephone number on record is registered to Paul J Manafort Jr., 601 N Fairfax St Apt 405, Alexandria, Virginia.

Work on the house did begin shortly afterwards, but halted about a year and a half ago.  Since then, cinderblocks and rusting steel beams have been stored in the front yard.
A full Stop Work order was issued on February 1, 2017 by the DoB Brooklyn Commissioner due to "applicant withdrawal."

Interestingly enough, according to the New York City Department Of Finance,  the deed to the property was transferred from the holding company directly to Mr. Manafort on January 4, 2017.
Almost immediately afterwards, it would appear that three mortgages were taken under his name and that of his wife, Kathleen B. Manafort, and under MC Brooklyn Holdings.

According to ACRIS, by The Federal Savings Bank provided funds of $5,300,000 on the property on January 17, 2017.  (The amount needs to be repaid by January 2018).  An additional mortgage of  $1,200,000 by The Federal Savings Bank was issued on the same day.   Genesis Capital Master Fund II, LLC appears to have loaned another $303,750

The Federal Savings Bank prides itself on 'honoring those who have served' and according to its web site, is "owned and operated by veterans with a mission to help serve veterans. Most members of our executive leadership team and many of our employees have also served our country and know from experience that the transition from soldier to civilian means having a place to be able to call 'home'."

Even with home prices going up tremendously in Carroll Gardens in the past few years, one could say that the mortgage amount of $6,803,750 exceeds the current value of this house, especially in its current condition.

Who would have thought that this once solid Italian working class neighborhood would one day attract Hollywood celebrities as well as Washington lobbyists.

I don't know what to make of all of this. Maybe one of my readers can interpret these transactions?

 (From New York City DoB web site for 377 Union Street, Brooklyn)

 (from N.Y.C. DOB site for 377 Union Street, Brooklyn)

 (Information on 277 Union Street on Acris Site under Block 429 Lot 65)

****UPDATE****
Well, two attorneys dug a bit further into the records of 377 Union Street and Paul Manafort's many outstanding loans on this property.

Julian Russo and Matthew Termine published their well researched findings here: https://377union.atavist.com.  It is a fascinating read and seems to confirm that the financial trail appears to be  more than unusual.

Let us know what you think.

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