The New York Post reported today that the original owners of the proposed mosque site near Ground Zero sold it for $4.8 million to the developers after turning down a $18 million offer. In addition mosque developer Sharif El Gamel also gave the building's owner's son a job. The building owner also rejected other offers higher than the $4.8 million it accepted. In 2007 New York developer Kevin Glodek offered $18 million in cash for the property and now is stunned to hear it was sold for a fraction of what he offered. He wonders if money changed hands under the table during the negotiation of the final deal.
This new revelation adds to the mystery and controversy of this proposed mosque. This week it was revealed that key contributor to the $4.8 million paid for this mosque was a Egyptian born businessman from Long Island Hisham Elzanaty, who also gave thousands of dollars to a Hamas front group. The front group, Texas- based Holy Land Foundation For relief and Development was shut down by the feds after it was designated as a terrorist organization after a 9/11 FBI probe. It was the largest Islamic charity in the U.S at the time. Elzanaty who runs a Bronx based medical supply company, also had his own controversy when he was ordered to repay $331,000 in Medicaid payments in 2004-2005.
The developer of the proposed mosque site, Sharif el-Gamal has refused to disclose where he received the funds to buy the building in 2009. With mounting issues surrounding this proposed mosque many New Yorkers are even more anxious to know if the leaders in the city and state such as mayor Bloomberg, and Attorney General Andrew Como are going to investigate the funding of this mosque. Over 70 percent of New Yorkers are opposed to this mosque being built near Ground Zero based on sensitivity issues and the people involved in building it. That alone should encourage leaders to pay attention.
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Arnie
If the writer here or the NY Post had bothered to do some fact checking it would have been discovered that Kevin Glodek is apparently a man with a record of "misstatements" -- The SEC / NASD found in 2007 that Kevin M. Glodek violated NASD antifraud regulations.
The links and info are posted in the comments at CURBED NY:
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/09/05/owners_of_park51_site_refused_m...
I think that the deal that was made for 4.8 million should have never happened. If Kevin Glodek had an offer on the table and it was accepted then he should have purchased the property. Whenever something like this happens everyone is looking to point the finger at the other person. Downtown NYer maybe you should do some checking into Sharif El Gamel ?? I believe that you will find some dirty work going on with him. The whole deal with him stinks. Open your eyes !!!!!!!
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