Man returns to his family’s property in Connecticut after five years to find a $1.4 million house being built after a South African con man posed as him to sell the property
- Daniel Kenigsberg had received a piece of land from his deceased parents that he wanted to keep undisturbed
- To his horror, the property was sold out from under him by a con artist who impersonated him and reaped $350,000 from the illegal sale.
- In a lawsuit, Kenigsberg is now asking for the property to be returned to him and for a $1.4 million home to be removed from land built since the bogus sale
A man returned to his family’s property in Connecticut after five years to find a $1.4 million home being built on it after a con artist posed as him to sell the land.
Dr. Daniel Kenigsberg owned the property in Fairfield, Connecticut, after his late mother passed away in 2007.
The 0.45-acre property remained covered with trees for seven decades after his parents Nathaniel and Esther purchased an acre but only used half of it to build their home.
After selling the family home in 2011, Kenigsberg had plans to pass on the empty lot, which is worth $350,000, to his children and grandchildren.
However, in August 2022, the property was sold without his knowledge when someone impersonating him signed a power of attorney granting a lawyer to sign legal documents on his behalf and move the property to a real estate company.
The lot had been left empty until this $1.4 million house was built on it after the fraudulent sale
Dr. Daniel Kenigsberg, pictured here, had been given a piece of land by his late parents that he intended to keep
In a lawsuit, a Connecticut company called 51 Sky Top Partners allegedly bought the land last October for $350,000 — without Kenigsberg knowing it was ever for sale.
A few months later, they got a construction company to start building a four-bedroom house on the property, with the doctor still completely unaware.
The 4,000-square-foot home was listed for sale on Coldwell Banker in March for $1,475,000.
It wasn’t until May of this year that a school friend called Kenigsberg to let him know that a friend was receiving hospice care and said his land was under construction.
When he finally made the trip and saw the house that had been built, Kenigsberg had his lawyer investigate what had happened.
Kenigsberg said the Washington Post: ‘I was living my life normally until May 31, and suddenly this happened.’
According to the lawsuit, an unknown person from South Africa produced a fake passport for Kenigsberg with an incorrect date of birth, photo and address.
This individual then had Connecticut attorney Anthony Monelli complete the transaction after impersonating Kenigsberg and appointing him as power of attorney.
After his lawyer informed 51 Sky Top that they had not purchased the property from the correct owner, construction halted.
Last October, a Connecticut firm called 51 Sky Top Partners bought the land for $350,000.
In a statement to The Washington Postowner Gina Leto said, “We, as the buyer, had no contact with the party posing as Kenigsberg.
“We had no reason to believe he was an imposter. We wouldn’t have paid $350,000 for the property—nor would we have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars more in construction—if we had.”
Leto would also file a request to have the company removed from the lawsuit.
Kenigsberg filed suit against Monelli and 51 Sky Top Partners in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut on July 14.
He has requested that the property be returned, asking all other parties involved to cease their activities on the land and remove the house they built.
The Fairfield Police Department is also investigating the transaction.