Willow and Hearth

Two Landlords, $424,000 in Court-Ordered Penalties

The City of Binghamton, New York has collected $424,000 in combined court judgments against two local landlords after years of unresolved housing code violations, city officials announced September 1, 2026, according to WBNG. One case ended in a six-figure judgment over roach infestations and months without heat. The other closed with a $10,000 penalty tied to a porch that was structurally collapsing.

A $414,000 Judgment Over Roaches and No Heat

The larger case centers on a rental property at 6 Janette Avenue, owned by JST Properties LLC and named defendants Timothy P. Connolly and Lillian Bomysoad, per WBNG’s report. The city says the building was condemned in December 2024 after inspectors documented cockroach infestations, unsafe electrical wiring and a lack of heat. A June 2025 court order gave the owners 45 days to fix the violations or face $200 daily fines. By January 2026, with 18 of 19 cited violations still unresolved, the property was locked down again under the city’s nuisance laws. A New York State Supreme Court judgment of $414,000 was finalized last month.

The Porch That Was Ready to Fall

The second case involves a building at 35 William Street owned by Robert Kuzel and his company, NRC Properties LLC. Inspectors first cited the property in 2023 over a porch held up by temporary bracing, with bowed walls and a support column that had come loose from its footing, WBNG reported. When repairs still weren’t made, the city filed a petition in State Supreme Court in September 2025. Kuzel eventually completed the repairs, and the case was resolved with a $10,000 fine and a dismissal of misdemeanor charges. City records cited by Binghamton Homepage note Kuzel had faced local prosecution over building code violations more than 18 times before.

A Pattern of Tougher Enforcement

Both judgments follow a broader shift in how the city pursues chronic violators. Mayor Jared Kraham said in a statement reported by WBNG that the city has changed how it deals with problem properties, and that neighborhoods are seeing the results. The city has increasingly turned to State Supreme Court petitions rather than city court alone, a strategy officials used earlier this year in a separate case involving a South Side property with 20 code violations, also covered by WBNG, which ended in a $634,550 judgment.

For tenants who lived through condemned heat and crumbling porches while their landlords stalled, the dollar figures are less important than what they represent: a city willing to keep cases in court for years until repairs happen or the bill comes due.