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Notorious Ex-Landlord Seeks 6-Month Delay In Prison Sentence

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 26, 2008

TAMPA - More than a year after being struck by a car, the man who once was one of Hillsborough County's most notorious landlords remains in a poor mental and physical state, according to a new court filing.

An attorney for Steven Green is asking a judge for a six-month extension for Green to report to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving a prison sentence. Green currently is slated to report July 3.

"Attempts by medical staff to feed or bathe him often result in Mr. Green punching or biting his caregivers and otherwise physically resisting said efforts," wrote his lawyer, Edward M. Kratt. "Steven often shreds the bed linens with his teeth when frustrated. He must oft-times be physically restrained for his safety, as well as the safety of his caregivers.

"As a result of this compulsive, and seemingly involuntary behavior, no physical therapists have been found, to date, who are willing to work with him to provide for his physical, rehabilitative needs."

Green, once one of Tampa's worst code violators with the low-income housing complexes he operated, was sentenced in February 2007 to 33 months in prison on tax evasion and fraud charges. He also was ordered to repay more than $4 million in restitution to Wells Fargo Bank.

Green had defrauded the bank by using a false Social Security number on a $9 million mortgage application for the Amberwood apartment complex on North Florida Avenue.

After passing sentence, the judge gave Green time to get his affairs in order before reporting to prison.

In May 2007, Green was hit by a car outside a New York nightclub. The crash left him in a coma for about 40 days, Kratt wrote in a court document.

Green was discharged from a hospital nearly a year later, but while he now is home in Purchase, N.Y., a June 18 letter states that Green "is not now capable of caring for himself and must rely on others to be able to perform the activities of daily living," Kratt wrote.

Green receives 24-hour care and can't stand or walk on his own, Kratt wrote.

Information from Tribune archives was used in this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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