Credit: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office NEWARK, N.J. - A landlord accused of demanding sex from his low-income tenants under threat of eviction or in exchange for helping them receive rent assistance will pay more than $4 million to settle a federal lawsuit, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.The action against Joseph Centanni resolves a lawsuit filed in August 2020 that accused Centanni of engaging in "severe or pervasive sexual harassment" over a period of approximately 15 years.
The settlement still must be approved by a federal judge.According to the lawsuit, Centanni owns numerous properties in and around the city of Elizabeth that accept federal Section 8 housing vouchers.