Well, this is some interesting news:
Con Edison wants a judge to green-light the eviction of the would-be developer of the controversial mosque near Ground Zero — because, the utility claims, he doesn’t have a prayer of paying the $1.7 million that he owes in back rent.
At a hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court, Con Ed lawyer Scott Mollen yesterday portrayed Sharif el-Gamal as a deadbeat slumlord and far too cash-strapped to pay back what he owes.
“They’re $1.7 million in arrears, and they have not come close to demonstrating they have the ability” to pay up on the rent at 51 Park Place, Mollen told Justice Richard Braun.
It would be deeply ironic that after all the sturm-und-drang if the ground zero mosque were killed by the one thing almost all New Yorkers hold in contempt: landlords.
Maybe Sharif el-Gamal should wander down to wherever Occupy Wall Street is hanging out and pass the hat…
