4 The Queens Courier • august 15, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com FIRE LEAVES BIZ OWNER IN SERIOUS CONDITION BY MELISSA CHAN AND ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Five people were injured, two of them seriously, when a fire erupted inside a popular Whitestone Chinese restaurant last Saturday, fire officials said. Flames broke out at Emperor House Chinese Restaurant on August 10 around 4:49 p.m., according to the FDNY. Three victims sustained minor injuries and one man was being treated for second-degree burns at Jacobi Medical Center, authorities said. Another victim was in serious but stable condition, the FDNY said. Workers in the 10th Avenue shopping center said a man they believed to be either the restaurant’s owner or manager “came running out on fire.” “His whole body was burned. His clothes were on fire,” said Angel Soriano, who works at a pizzeria next door. Soriano said his co-workers tried smothering the blaze with towels while others threw water on the man. A Whitestone restaurant fire last weekend injured five people. “It was chaos,” said Ken Chieco, who also works at the pizzeria. Devon O’Connor, president of the Welcome to Whitestone Civic Association, said the fire incinerated a woman’s hair and burned her arm. The blaze was under control by 5:26 p.m., fire officials said. The cause is under investigation. Photo Courtesy Devon O’Connor Emperor House was boarded up and roped off as of August 12. Neighbors said they did not know the owner’s name, but described him as kind and friendly. “When my daughter would work late, he would drive her home,” said Michelle Dejean. “That’s how nice that man is. Very nice people work there.” AG arrests Fresh Meadows woman for Sandy scam BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A Fresh Meadows woman claiming to be a Sandy victim was arrested for allegedly scamming more than $87,000 in city and federal relief, the state attorney general said. Caterina Curatolo stayed at hotels on the city’s dime for close to nine months after she claimed she was evacuated and rendered homeless by the Photo Courtesy of Attorney General October superstorm, according Eric Schneiderman’s office to authorities and a criminal Caterina Curatolo was complaint. arrested for posing as a She racked up a hotel bill of Sandy victim. more than $83,000, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, and received nearly $3,600 on top of that from the city and American Red Cross to spend on food. The attorney general’s office said she spent some of the money at electronic, shoe and dress stores. “I am in desperate need for you all to pray for me and for all the victims of hurricane super sandy sic, and please pray pray pray for me and us all,” Curatolo wrote on her Facebook page in June. Schneiderman said Curatolo filed fraudulent claims, blaming Sandy for pre-dated or nonexistent damages to her house and car. An investigation by his office found roof damages to her home were there since 2011, when she filed a similar claim to FEMA after Hurricane Irene. Neighbors told The Courier they believed structural damage to her home took place long before the superstorm. Curatolo’s car also showed no signs of water damage, Schneiderman said, though she allegedly told a car insurance representative her Jeep Grand Cherokee “was full of water,” according to a criminal complaint. “The whole ceiling and everything was all wet and coming down well,” she allegedly said, “and the car is moldy and mildew-y sic now and the car won’t start.” Neighbors said 159th Street, where Curatolo lives, saw little to no flooding during Sandy. “There were some branches down. There was rain, but cars were not flooded,” said Abderraham Kamal. Curatolo’s home is more than a mile from the nearest flood zone and was not located in an evacuation area, officials said. Neighbor and friend Claudia, who did not want to give her last name, said Curatolo was battling health and family problems. The 48 year old — who described herself on a social media sites as a reverend, actor, director and producer — also spent years taking care of her ailing mother, the neighbor said. “I feel very bad for her,” Claudia said. “She needed help, but I guess she took it from the wrong place.” Curatolo faces multiple charges including grand larceny, insurance fraud and falsifying business records and could serve up to seven years in prison if convicted. Family of Sandy victim files suit BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] The family of the Flushing man tragically killed by a felled tree during Sandy has officially filed a lawsuit against the city, legal sources said. “The city has completely ignored the situation with their trees in Queens,” said the family’s attorney, Rosemarie Arnold. Arnold filed a notice of claim in January on behalf of Tony Laino, 29, who is considered the storm’s first New York City victim. He was pinned under a tree that ripped through his secondfloor bedroom on October 29, police said. “Around the corner from where this happened, someone else was killed last week,” said Arnold, referring to the pregnant woman recently killed by a tree in Kissena Park. The attorney said the Lainos fought in vain for at least a decade to get the towering threat in front of their house removed. She told The Courier the city tree was “overgrown, rotten and improperly pruned” and fell when it was confronted by predicted 80 miles per hour hurricane winds. The victim’s parents, Carol and Robert Laino, and one of his two brothers, Nicholas Laino, are now suing for emotional, mental distress and monetary damages, including funeral and burial expenses, according to the claim. “Let’s hope this lawsuit saves at least one other mother from the torment that Carol Laino is experiencing because of the unnecessary loss of her child,” Arnold said. The amount the family plans to sue for is not yet determined, according to their lawyer. The city’s Law Department said it was “awaiting a formal copy of the lawsuit and will review it upon receipt.” “We recognize that the incident involves a loss of life, which is tragic,” said department spokesperson Elizabeth Thomas. Photo courtesy of Facebook The family of Tony Laino (pictured) has filed a lawsuit against the city after the 29-year-old was killed by a felled tree during Sandy. If You’re Ready to Buy a Home,We are Ready to Help. The State of New York M ortgage Agency offers: Up to $15,000 Down Payment Assistance 1-800-382-HOME(4663) for Housing www.sonyma.org
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