Barn at Old Westbury Equestrian Center, worker apartments closed down for fire code violations

The Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office raided an equestrian center Monday in one of Long Island's wealthiest enclaves, shuttering a barn with more than two dozen horses, along with apartments housing seven people, including two children, for a host of fire code violations.

The Old Westbury Equestrian Center on Store Hill Road had been given months to rectify the code problems but ignored multiple warnings — along with 20 previous citations — according to James Hickman, assistant chief of the Fire Marshal's Office.

"It's been an ongoing problem with them for a while," Hickman said. "They haven't complied with orders since October. They don't have a sprinkler system, fire alarm system or a carbon monoxide system. There are 27 horses in a stable and four apartments overhead that were not protected."

The Fire Marshal, along with the Nassau SPCA, which participated in the raid, shuttered the stable, a nearby riding area and four apartments above the barn, immediately evicting five employees and two children. 

The center had until 3 p.m. Tuesday to move the 27 horses, many of which are privately owned, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and that compete in elite riding competitions such as the Hampton Classic.

A separate barn housing another 23 horses was up to code and can continue operating, Hickman said.

Matthew Roper, chief of law enforcement for the Nassau SPCA, said his team visited the stables on Jan. 2, providing ownership one week to fix the violations. That order, he said, was ignored.

"If a fire broke out in there 27 horses would have perished," Roper said. "It could have been a horrible tragedy for both the horses and the individuals living above the stable."

The Equestrian Center's website contends there is a "fire alarm and sprinkler system installed in all of the facilities."

The century-old, 28-acre property is owned by Manouchehr "Manny" Malekan, chief executive of a Mineola-based real estate company, who now faces an undetermined amount of fines. Malekan did not respond to requests for comment.

Last October, Malekan leased a 6,000-squre-foot Tudor-style mansion on the grounds to Alli Murphy, a Long Island portraitist who uses the property for high-priced photo shoots of women in lingerie — some on horseback and in the stables — while others are pictured with whips and chains. Murphy advertises the company as "Long Island's only Gold Coast Mansion Boudoir Photography Studio."

Shortly after Murphy took over the mansion, her husband, Jason Green, was hired by Malekan to manage the grounds and collect payments from the horse trainers, who rent stalls for up to $2,000 per month, officials said.

In 2015, Green and another man were arrested by the FBI for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud homeowners who were attempting to modify their mortgage loans, records show. Green pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud and was sentenced to 6 months of home-detention and five years of supervised release.

Kalyn Fogerty, a trainer at the center since 2015, said Green and Malekan promised to fix the fire safety violations, along with a host of other needed repairs.

On Tuesday, Fogerty was scrambling to move the 20 horses under her care to a farm in Manorville. A handful of other horses were moved to undisclosed locations or to another stable on the grounds. A mother of two young children, Fogerty said the stable's closure will cost her about $30,000 in rent, transportation of the horses and lost wages.

"The barn is beautiful but it's in disarray," she said. "It keeps getting Band-Aids slapped on it. You can only have so many last chances before someone finally puts their foot down to get something done. This is pretty devastating and expensive for everybody. Even if they fix the problems I'm not sure anyone would be willing to come back."

In a statement, the Village of Old Westbury declined to comment on the raid but said it cited Murphy in 2022 for operating an "illegal business" on the grounds and issued a summons. 

Murphy and Green did not respond to requests for comment.

Bridget Marks of Oyster Bay Cove, who kept a horse at the Equestrian Center for years, said she left last year because of Green's poor management and Murphy's provocative photo shoots.

"I was shocked and horrified," Marks said. "You can imagine how disconcerting it is to be riding by and trying to enjoy the peaceful, serene oasis on this beautiful historic property and there are scantily clad women running around in front of children taking riding lessons."

With Sandra Peddie

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.