Weprin criticized for ties to Jamaica real estate firm sued by state 

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David Weprin received a campaign contribution from Zara Realty Vice President Rajesh Subraj. AP Photo/Hans Pennink

David Weprin received a campaign contribution from Zara Realty Vice President Rajesh Subraj. AP Photo/Hans Pennink

By David Brand 

Veteran Queens Assemblymember David Weprin is facing pressure from community members and political opponents over his ties to a local real estate firm accused by Attorney General Letitia James of “an egregious pattern” of tenant harassment and exploitation.

The company, Zara Realty, was sued in 2019 by James and the state’s Homes and Community Renewal agency for allegedly demanding excessive security deposits and advance rent payments from tenants in violation of state law. Zara also violates rent-regulation laws by charging broker’s fees through a third-party LLC, the complaint alleges. 

Zara Vice President Rajesh Subraj, who goes by Tony Subraj and is named in the lawsuit, chipped in $400 to Weprin’s campaign for comptroller in May 2019, two months after the state filed its complaint.

The corporation owns at least 2,500 rent-stabilized apartments in 38 buildings in and around Weprin’s 24th Assembly District — a narrow region that runs northeast through Queens from Richmond Hill to Glen Oaks. People of South Asian descent make up a large percentage of tenants in Zara’s affordable housing sites and some buildings are represented by the Bangladeshi Tenants Union.

“Evading our rent regulation laws and forcing low-income tenants to pay exorbitant fees for fake services is deception of the worst kind,” James said at a press conference first announcing the lawsuit last year.

Councilmember Rory Lancman, who appeared with James at the event, said Zara was “determined to cheat, to steal, and to harass its tenants regardless of whatever it does to their lives.” A state Supreme Court judge allowed the lawsuit to proceed in May.

For weeks, Weprin’s opponent Mahfuzul Islam has hammered him for the campaign contribution as well as Weprin’s perceived coziness with Zara. 

“Rajesh Subraj, has personally donated to @DavidWeprin to keep him in office. WHY? Because he fights for their interests and not ours,” Islam tweeted May 5.

Weprin has worked closely with Zara and has promoted the corporation’s charity and community development projects, including funding a new computer lab at Benjamin Cardozo High School. 

He defended the contribution from Subraj and his ties to Zara by pointing to those very community efforts.

“Look, the Subraj family, I know there have been issues, but they have also been active in the community,” he said. “The attorney general has a civil action, not a legal action against them and it will play out how it plays out.” 

Weprin said he does not plan to return the money from Subraj. “It’s a small percentage, legally obtained,” he said. 

A Zara spokesperson dismissed the criticism of the contribution and said the company provides “high-quality affordable housing for thousands of New Yorkers.” 

The spokesperson listed projects funded by Zara, including technology labs for schools, free test preparation classes for local students, annual school supply donations and the distribution of personal protective equipment to tenants and local hospitals.

“Just last month, we joined with the Jamaica Muslim Center to donate hundreds of Iftar meals to those celebrating the end of Ramadan,” the spokesperson added. “We are proud of the philanthropic work we do here in Queens, and we will continue to help support our community as we weather the current crisis.”