United States v. Real Property Located at 272 Old Montauk Highway

298 F.R.D. 43, 2014 WL 726772, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23661
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 22, 2014
DocketNo. 12-CV-1880 (ADS)(GRB)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 298 F.R.D. 43 (United States v. Real Property Located at 272 Old Montauk Highway) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Real Property Located at 272 Old Montauk Highway, 298 F.R.D. 43, 2014 WL 726772, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23661 (E.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

SPATT, District Judge.

On April 17, 2012, the Plaintiff United States of America (the “Government”) commenced this civil in rem action seeking forfeiture of (1) the real property located at 272 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk New York (the “Montauk Property”); (2) any and all shares of 93 Old Montauk Owners, Inc. (the “Co-Op”) held in the name of Distinctive Ventures, LLC (the “Distinctive Shares”); (3) any and all shares of the Co-Op held in the name of Brian Callahan (“Callahan”) and Sheri Manson-Callahan (“Manson-Callahan”), together with the proprietary lease for cooperative unit Salt Sea # 4 at the Montauk Property (the “Callahan Shares” and, together with the Distinctive Shares, the “Defendant Shares”); and (4) the real property located at 47 Clock Tower Lane, Old West-bury, New York (the “Old Westbury Property” and, together with the Montauk Property, the “Defendant Properties”).

Since the filing of this civil forfeiture proceeding, the following Claimants have appeared: CreXus S. Holdings, LLC (“CreX-us”); Gibraltar Private Bank And Trust (“Gibraltar”); Manson-Callahan; OneWest Bank, F.S.B. (“OneWest”); Denise L. Loring (“Loring”); Peter V. Pantaleo (“Pantaleo”); Distinctive Ventures, LLC (“Distinctive Ven[46]*46tures”) and Distinctive Investments, LLC (“Distinctive Investments”). On January 18, 2013, the Court (Wexler, J.) granted the Government’s motion to stay this action due to the pendency of a related criminal investigation, discussed below. All the Claimants consented to the Government’s motion.

Presently before the Court is a motion by the Government, dated May 16, 2013, for an interlocutory sale of the Defendant Properties. The Government makes this motion pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981(g)(6) and Rule G(7) of the Supplemental Rules of Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture Actions (the “Supplemental Rules”). CreXus and OneWest submitted responses supporting the Government’s motion. However, Distinctive Ventures and Distinctive Investments (collectively, “Distinctive”) opposed the Government’s motion with respect to the Montauk Property, while Manson-Callahan opposed the motion with respect to the Old Westbury Property. Also before the Court is a December 26, 2013 letter motion by Latus Partners, LLC (“La-tas”), seeking to intervene in this civil forfeiture action and opposing the Government’s motion.

Thereafter, on January 23, 2014, this Court (Spatt, J.) so ordered a stipulation and order by which the Government agreed to withdraw the motion for the interlocutory sale of the Old Westbury Property so that a proposed sale of the Old Westbury Property could proceed with the consent of Manson-Callahan and OneWest. The January 23, 2014 Order resolved OneWest’s claims. As such, the only alleged forfeitable property currently at issue in the Government’s pending motion for an interlocutory sale is the Montauk Property.

For the reasons that follow, the Court grants in part and denies in part the Government’s motion. The Court also denies La-tus’s letter motion to intervene.

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Circumstances Leading to the Commencement of this Civil Forfeiture Action

This civil forfeiture proceeding was commenced by the Government for the purpose of forfeiting and condemning to the use of the Government the Defendant Properties and the Defendant Shares on the grounds that (1) the Defendant Properties and the Defendant Shares were allegedly constituted of and/or derived from the proceeds of securities fraud and (2) the Defendant Properties and the Defendant Shares were allegedly constituted of and/or derived from proceeds involved in money laundering activity.

In this regard, according to the Government, Callahan engaged in a fraudulent scheme involving several investment funds that he controlled (the “Callahan Funds”). The Government alleges that Callahan diverted investor funds from the Callahan Funds to the real estate project of his brother-in-law, Adam Manson (“Manson”). This real estate project was known as the Panoramic View Oceanfront Resort (“Panoramic View”) and was located on the Montauk Property. The Government further alleges that Callahan (1) made material misrepresentations to investors in the Callahan Funds, including as to the liquidity of the Callahan Funds’ investments in the Panoramic View project and (2) used money from new and existing investors to pay off investors in other Callahan Funds.

In relevant part, the Government claims that (1) $12.1 million of funds invested by investors in the Callahan Funds were used to acquire the Defendant Shares; (2) $17 million of funds invested by investors in the Callahan Funds were directed towards the payment of loans used to secure the Montauk Property and the Defendant Shares; and (3) $450,000 of funds invested by investors in the Callahan Funds were used as a down-payment toward the acquisition of the Callahan Shares. Apparently, these payments were made through the transfer of monies from one or more accounts without any clear business purpose, in a manner that is consistent with money laundering.

Of note, these securities fraud and money laundering allegations are the subject of both a criminal action that has been brought against Callahan and Manson, entitled United States v. Callahan, et al., Case No. 13-CR-453 (E.D.N.Y.), as well as a civil action [47]*47entitled Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) v. Callahan, et al., Case No. 12-CV-1065 (E.D.N.Y.). Further, in connection with the SEC v. Callahan, et al. case, the nearly $30 million of funds invested by investors in the Callahan Funds that were diverted to the Panoramic View project are now in receivership.

B. The Purchase of the Montauk Property and the CreXus Loan

Pursuing his Panoramic View real estate project, in early 2007, through Distinctive, Manson purchased the Montauk Property, which is a ten-acre area of land that overlooks one thousand feet of beach and the Atlantic Ocean and contains both luxury apartments and a hotel. The Montauk Property is a cooperative corporation. Therefore, in order to make the purchase, Distinctive had to purchase all of the shares of the CoOp, which holds title to the Montauk Property. As discussed above, Manson and Distinctive Ventures relied in part on funds invested by investors in the Callahan Funds to support the purchase of the Panoramic View project.

On January 5, 2007, in addition to these funds, for the purpose of purchasing and renovating the Montauk Property, Distinctive Ventures executed a Loan Agreement with Barclays Capital Real Estates Inc. (“Barclays”). Pursuant to this Loan Agreement, Barclays provided Distinctive Ventures' with a $35 million acquisition loan and a $10 million construction loan, for a total loan amount of $45 million (the “CreXus Loan”). The CreXus Loan was secured by (1) a mortgage on the Montauk Property and (2) a lien on the Distinctive Shares and related proprietary leases. Subsequently, in early 2008, Barclays released the mortgage on the real property, leaving the remaining loan amount secured only by a lien on the 8,955 Distinctive Shares and related proprietary leases for the unsold apartment units located at the Montauk Property. On April 8, 2011, Bar-clays assigned all of its rights, title and interest in the CreXus Loan to CreXus.

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298 F.R.D. 43, 2014 WL 726772, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23661, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-real-property-located-at-272-old-montauk-highway-nyed-2014.