Landlord accused of demanding sex from tenants to pay $4.5M

By DAVID PORTER
Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A landlord accused of demanding sex from his low-income tenants has agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a federal lawsuit. The Department of Justice sued Joseph Centanni in August 2020, accusing him of engaging in “severe or pervasive sexual harassment” over a period of approximately 15 years at buildings he owns in and around the city of Elizabeth. Centanni will pay approximately $4.4 million to his victims, to be administered through a compensation fund, according to the DOJ. He also will pay the government a civil penalty of about $107,000 and will be prohibited from owning or managing rental properties.