East Hampton man pleads not guilty to overcrowded house charges

An East Hampton Town man charged with using his single-family home to house seven tenants pleaded not guilty Monday to charges ranging from overcrowding to having no certificate of occupancy.

The homeowner, Manuel Guerrero, 54, of 2 Amagansett Dr. E., said in an interview following his arraignment in East Hampton Town Justice Court that the allegations are unfounded. He said he had town approvals for any modifications made on the house and said that anyone living there was a friend, family member, or an acquaintance staying there temporarily.

All seven tenants, who spoke only Spanish and communicated through a court interpreter, also entered not guilty pleas to illegal occupancy charges. The total of eight defendants were ordered back in court again next Monday for a hearing on the allegations.

Following the execution of a search warrant at the house earlier this month, Assistant Town attorney Michael Sendlenski identified the tenants as Trasito Auquilla, Ana Dsorio Marquez, Millar Cauama, Sandra Contrvas, Antionio Matailo, Carlos Calle and Rina Alvarado. But there were unresolved discrepancies with the names provided by Guerrero and the town, and their ages were not immediately available.

Guerrero, who is also charged with converting a single-family home into a multifamily dwelling, said in the interview that he had papers to prove his approvals.

Outside the courtroom, Guerrero said "the whole thing" is a result of an argument he had with the one and only tenant he did have.

"Homeowners are entitled to have two nonfamily members as tenants," he said. He said the man had been living at the house for about a year, paying $500 a month, and when Guerrero asked him to move out that's when the trouble started.

"He told me, 'Tomorrow I'm going to send the town and the police,' and this is what happened," Guerrero said.

In 2006, Guerrero faced similar charges. He said that in that case he was accused of having too many tenants when he said everyone living in his house was a friend or family member.

In that case, Guerrero said, "I just had to pay about a $500 fine and I expect the same thing to happen in this case."