Long Island Landlord Faces Homicide, Mortgage Fraud Related Charges As 4 Year Old, Two Adults Die Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning In Dilapidated Home

In Suffolk County, New York, the Suffolk County District Attorney recently announced:

• A Dix Hills landlord is charged with three counts of criminal negligent homicide for causing the deaths of three tenants found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning last November in his illegal, dilapidated two-family home on Sunrise Highway in West Babylon.

• In addition to the three criminal negligent homicide charges, [Landlord Wilson Milord, 48, of Dix Hills] is charged with four counts of second degree grand larceny, three counts of third degree grand larceny, three counts of first degree offering a false instrument for filing, two counts of second degree forgery, and one count of scheme to defraud.(1)

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• The victims, Tanishia Armstrong, 25, her four-year-old daughter, Talani Johnson, and their downstairs neighbor, Ricardo Pearce, 27, died Nov. 20 from fumes from Milord’s generator running inside his rental property at 437 Sunrise Hwy. in West Babylon.

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• On Nov. 20, 2007, the day 4-year old Talani Johnson, her mother Tanisha Armstrong and tenant Ricardo Pearce died in the squalor of the defendant’s unheated Sunrise Highway house, Milord had run out of money. “Mr. Milord financed his lifestyle by refinancing his rundown rental properties and taking the cash. To cover his ever-growing monthly mortgage payments,” [Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas] Spota said, “our investigation found he would add rental units, squeeze more tenants into his rental properties, and flagrantly ignore town codes.”

For more, see the DA's press release: Landlord indicted for criminal negligent homicide for role in deaths of 4- year old and two adults (Grand larceny, forgery and other charges related to mortgage fraud).

See also, WCBS-TV Channel 2: Notorious Long Island Slumlord Arrested, which reports that the West Babylon house has been foreclosed.

(1) The district attorney said the counts in the indictment charging Milord with grand larceny, forgery, and filing a false instrument are connected to Milord’s scheme to defraud lending institutions to secure or refinance mortgages for his West Babylon building and additional rental properties he owned in Central Islip, Brentwood, and Wheatley Heights, according to the story.