Landlord in Trouble Over Manhattan Property Linked to “The Nanny”
A new lawsuit claims that landlord Steven Kloman, notoriously nicknamed “Landlord Bernie Madoff” due to his past controversies, owes significant money to Fannie Mae concerning a well-known Manhattan building.
According to filings in Manhattan, Kloman has defaulted on a multimillion-dollar loan for the Upper East Side location made famous by the 1990s sitcom “The Nanny,” in which Fran Drescher starred. Currently, the property at 7 E. 75th St. faces foreclosure over $8.22 million in unpaid debts, with his total claims of default across all properties reaching nearly $200 million.
This staggering total reportedly includes a debt of $22.15 million for five properties located in Manhattan.
The five-story French Beaux-Arts building, constructed in 1901 and situated near Central Park, was acquired by Kloman for $14.5 million in 2008. Its exterior became iconic as the Sheffield family home in “The Nanny,” where Drescher portrayed a caretaker from Queens.
Unlike its fictional counterpart, the property is divided into apartments, with one cozy three-bedroom unit currently renting for $11,800 a month.
Kloman, a convicted fraudster who was imprisoned on Rikers Island, took out a $9.8 million loan for the property back in 2014. However, he ceased making the nearly $80,000 monthly payments starting in August, according to the complaint.
This pattern of abruptly halting payments extends to other buildings included in the lawsuit filed by Orange Owner LLC, the current holder of the loan.
For instance, at 309 W. 97th St., Kloman neglected payments of $36,000, leading to a default of $188,156 and a remaining balance of $3.55 million on the loan.
At 228-230 E. 32nd St., bills exceeded $41,000 monthly, and he was close to $200,000 late as of November, with an outstanding debt of $3.92 million.
Kloman also owes $6.46 million on two East Village properties located at 44 E. 1st St. and 158 Ave. C.
In addition to his fraud charges, Kloman has been labeled “the Bernie Madoff of landlords” by former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, for reportedly employing a former NYPD officer to intimidate tenants, thereby compelling them to vacate and allowing him to charge higher rents.
The late Bernie Madoff infamously led the largest pyramid scheme in history. Kloman pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud in 2017 and spent a year in jail.
