You are reading

Queens DA Launches Bureau Targeting Predatory Lenders and Housing Scammers

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, (Twitter)

June 3, 2020 By Christian Murray

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has established a new bureau tasked with investigating and prosecuting predatory lenders, housing scammers and contractors who fail to pay their employees prevailing wage.

The new unit, called the Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, will work with other agencies to prosecute con artists and unfair employers.

“Far too often, people are swindled into giving away their property. Unscrupulous criminals often target elderly or vulnerable people in real estate scams convincing them to sign on a dotted line that literally gives away their home,” Katz said in a statement. “This new bureau will investigate those crimes.”

The new bureau will not only focus on prosecuting these crimes but also educating the community on how to avoid being victims.

The unit will also target contractors who take money-saving shortcuts at the expense of worker safety; employers who skim wages from their employees; and those who refuse to pay the prevailing wage.

The bureau will be run by William Jorgenson, a career prosecutor who over the course of three decades has handled homicide and narcotics trials, insurance-fraud investigations and financial crimes.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.

Can Queens’ food scene thrive with both trucks and restaurants?

Aug. 19, 2025 By Jessica Militello

In Jackson Heights at 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, Roosevelt Avenue is buzzing with energy as commuters file in and out of subway cars and onto the street and cars and trucks grapple to get down the busy road. The street is filled with rows of shops and restaurants, along with food carts, street vendors and food trucks along the avenue. The almost-but-not-quite the weekend lag leaves hungry commuters faced with another choice to make throughout their day and the array of food truck options in busy areas like Jackson Heights offers customers convenience and delicious food without breaking the bank, two features that can feel vital, particularly with rising costs of living and pressure from inflation.