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(Union County, NJ/77WABC)- The Acting Union County Prosecutor says a landlord from Mountainside, NJ allegedly traded sex for rent with female and male tenants. 73-year-old Joseph Centanni faces a long list of charges including varying degrees of criminal sexual contact, sexual assault, and attempted sexual assault.
The prosecutor’s office says Centanni owns hundreds of rental units across 18 residential properties in Elizabeth, NJ allegedly coercing tenants for sex in exchange for rent relief. Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Elizabeth Police Department Chief Giacomo Sacca and Director Earl Graves jointly announced Monday Centanni is charged 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. The alleged incidents took place between2016 and 2020.
A long-term investigation initiated by a referral from the Elizabeth Police Department and led by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit revealed that Centanni targeted male and female victims: tenants or prospective tenants who were homeless, about to be evicted, or otherwise struggling financially, according to Prosecutor Ruotolo.
“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,” added Ruotolo.
Joseph Centanni of Mountainside has been arrested and charged with coercing tenants and prospective tenants of his Elizabeth properties into sexual acts in exchange for financial relief. https://t.co/tbwwR4RkmH
— Union County Prosecutor's Office (@UCPONJ) March 22, 2021
According to Assistant Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor, who is prosecuting the case, the victims would meet Centanni in his office on the 200 block of West Jersey Street in downtown Elizabeth, and the sex acts took place in laundry, storage, or boiler rooms at his properties – or in a sample apartment unit meant to be shown to prospective renters.
Centanni was taken into custody without incident at his office on Friday morning and lodged in the Union County Jail pending a first appearance and detention hearing scheduled to take place in Union County Superior Court. The Prosecutor’s Office intends to seek to keep Centanni detained pending the outcome of the criminal case against him.
The investigation into Centanni’s activities was led by Special Victims Unit Detective Joanne Son, and assisted by Elizabeth Police Department Detective Louis DeMondo and Special Agent Khela Vazquez of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), under the supervision of HUD Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi. Members of the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, under the leadership of Sheriff Peter Corvelli, assisted with the execution of a search warrant at Centanni’s office.
There is a separate, ongoing Fair Housing Act lawsuit against Centanni brought by the United States Department of Justice. Individuals can report sexual harassment and other forms of housing discrimination by contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at (855) 281-3339, or by emailing the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov.
To read more about the federal civil suit, go online to justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/department-justice-files-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-against-owner-rental-properties.
It is believed that there may be additional victims of Centanni who have yet to come forward. Anyone with information about Centanni’s activities is urged to contact Detective Son of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office at 908-477-1698.
Convictions on second-degree crimes are commonly punishable by terms of 5 to 10 years in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law
