The couple who made headlines after using a magnet to fish out a safe full of $100,000 from a Queens lake are delinquent tenants living in a relative’s house, according to the homeowner.
Barbie Agostini and her partner James Cain are allegedly still owing more than $15,000 in back rent to Barbie’s sister, Katherine, who claims the couple have been refusing to move out of the second-story apartment they rent in Jamaica, Queens, for months.
This is despite the windfall the couple caught magnet fishing at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on May 31; Kane estimates that 40 percent of the submerged cash is still intact.
The frustrated landlord says the couple’s lease expired in October and worries their newfound celebrity status will hide what she calls “bullying behaviour”.
“I’m just afraid they’re going to be America’s sweethearts,” Kathleen Agostini told The Washington Post.
She began eviction proceedings in January against a couple living in the 84th Street building, according to Queens Housing Court records.
The couple, who until recently were paying $1,300 a month in rent, have refused to have their landlord fix leaks caused by caustic chemicals Kane used to clean items wound with magnets, her sister alleges.
The damage caused the ceiling of a first-floor bedroom to collapse, she said.
According to court records, Kane claims the leak was not their fault and that their landlord had harassed them and posted their personal information online.
Kathleen worries that tenants will not pay rent and move out until a judge orders them to.
“if [Barbie] “It makes no difference to her because she’s in a position where she doesn’t have to pay rent and no one is forcing her to move out,” she said.
John Francis, an attorney for Kane and Barbie Agostini, told The Washington Post that the court ordered Kathleen to evaluate and repair the property and allowed the couple to remain in their apartment until the legal dispute was resolved.
The landlord claims he is unable to make necessary repairs due to financial hardship, but is also refusing to pay rent from the couple.
“As a result, the properties are in a state of disrepair, despite tenants allowing the landlord access to make repairs,” Mr Francis said.
