July 10, 2003
New York Post
By John LehmannA Manhattan landlord, who was once jailed for using a monkey wrench to attack a contractor, was busted yesterday on tax-evasion charges.
Pablo Llorente, who has a history of problems with the Department of Buildings, signed false income tax returns by "substantially understating" the rent he received between 1993 and 1996, a federal indictment unsealed yesterday said.
Llorente, who faces up to three years in prison, claimed he received $2.1 million in rent over the four years. The landlord was last in the spotlight in 2001, when 21 tenants at two of his buildings - at 159 and 161 West 80th Street - were hospitalized after a carbon-monoxide leak.
Llorente - of North Bergen, NJ - owns other buildings at 47 West 86th St., 349 Amsterdam Ave. and 512 West 180th St.