Dominic Smithers
A man is suing a company after he returned to his land to see a house being built he had no idea about.
Dr Daniel Kenigsberg bought the half-acre strip at 51 Sky Top Terrace in Connecticut back in 1991.
Just outside of New Haven, the spot was close to the site of his childhood home, which his dad bought in 1953 for $5,000.
However, what started out as a relatively innocuous purchase turned into an absolute nightmare when he was told by a close friend that some building work had begun on the parcel of land.
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Recalling the conversation, he told CT Insider: "I said, ‘I own that and I never sold it'. I was shocked."
Intrigued by what was going on, during a trip to Long Island, Dr Kenigsberg decided to swing by and see what was going on.
And when he arrived, he found construction underway on a huge house.
According to official records, the land was sold to 51 Sky Top Partners LLC for $350,000 back in October 2022.
Dr Kenigsberg says he had absolutely nothing to do with the bogus sale and had no idea it was happening.
He is now suing the firm involved on nine counts including trespass, statutory theft, and unfair trade practices.
The lawsuit is seeking to make the sale of the land void and Dr Kenigsberg is looking for damages in the sum of $2 million.
He is also demanding that the company in question removes 'any structures and/or materials from the Property and restore the Property to the condition that it was in prior to Defendants' trespass upon it'.
According to a listing, the four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house, which was valued at $1.45m, was subject to an offer following its listing back in March.
Speaking about the bizarre case, Dr Kenigsberg said: "I'm angry that so many people were so negligent that this could have happened.
"It's more than obnoxious — it's offensive and wrong."
The lawsuit claims that a 'Daniel Kenigsberg', from Johannesburg, South Africa, had forged a power-of-attorney to steal real property.
The power of attorney, it's claimed, was granted by Anthony Monelli of Trumbull, Connecticut.
Gina Leto and Greg Bugaj of 51 Sky Top Partners have now said they too were the victim of a scam.
A statement from 51 Sky Top Partners reads: "We learned to our shock and dismay that Kenigsberg, had not, in fact, sold the property to us.
"Rather, a third-party had impersonated Kenigsberg and — through the carelessness and neglect of the various real estate professionals involved in the transaction — managed to list, market, and sell the property without anyone ever catching on."
UNILAD has contacted representatives for 51 Sky Top Partners, Dr Kenigsberg, and Anthony Monelli.