D.A. charges former president of Courtyard Manor Co-op

The former president of a New Rochelle residential cooperative has been arrested and arraigned on a grand larceny charge.

The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office accused Joseph DeCicco on April 18 of stealing more than $50,000 from the corporation that owns Courtyard Manor Cooperative, from 2016 to 2022, and spending the money “for his own personal purposes.”

DeCicco, 69, pleaded not guilty before Judge Jared R. Rice in New Rochelle City Court.

Courtyard Manor consists of 288 apartments in three mid-rise buildings on Pelham Road, next to Titus Millpond and near Echo Bay.

DeCicco, of Norwalk, Connecticut, has owned many apartments in the cooperative and served on the board of directors for many years, including about 15 years as president.

The felony complaint provides no details about the alleged thefts. But DeCicco and other members of the board have traded accusations for the past few years.

In 2022, for instance, the owner of the complex, 210-220-230 Owners Corp., sued DeCicco for $5 million and accused him of running a criminal enterprise when he was president. Among the charges was the allegation that DeCicco had used the cooperative’s credit card to buy materials for his own properties and pay for personal expenses.

Then DeCicco sued the corporation for $6 million, claiming that the board under a new president was illegally blocking him from selling 36 apartments he owned.

Both sides agreed last September to discontinue the cooperative’s case against DeCicco.  Since then, there has been no activity in DeCicco’s case against the cooperative.

DeCicco’s attorney in the criminal case, John D. Papparlardo, White Plains, did not immediately respond to a message asking for his client’s response to the grand larceny charge.