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GZ Mosque developer has a tax problem
Sharif El-Gamal, the leading organizer behind the mosque and community center near Ground Zero, owes $224,270.77 in back property tax on the site, city records show.
That seems rather a lot.
El-Gamal's company, 45 Park Place Partners, failed to pay its half-yearly bills in January and July, according to the city Finance Department.
El Gamal himself is an interesting character. A few years ago he was a waiter. Then he sold real estate and then became owner of a real estate company and a developer.
The delinquency is a possible violation of El-Gamal's lease with Con Edison, which owns half of the proposed building site on Park Place. El-Gamal owns the other half but must pay taxes on the entire parcel.
El Gamal's spokesman essentially said, "trust us".
Posted by: lord garth 2010-08-30
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=304485