DA withdraws all charges against bookkeeper in $580K Mon View Heights theft case

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Friday withdrew charges against one of three men accused of stealing nearly $600,000 earmarked for a West Mifflin subsidized housing complex, with the prosecutor apologizing to the man as he left a preliminary hearing for the defendants.

Jonathan Liani, 39, of New York walked free from District Judge Richard Olasz Jr.’s courtroom after his charges of theft, receiving stolen property, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, conspiracy, risking catastrophe and creating a public nuisance were withdrawn following his testimony.

“My client is beyond relieved this ordeal is over. I said at the beginning he would be vindicated as soon as this saw the light of day,” said defense attorney Fred Rabner.

Liani was nothing more than an off-site, back-end bookkeeper following emailed orders when to issue checks, Rabner said Friday afternoon.

“He testified truthfully today about his role,” Rabner said. “The prosecution immediately did the right thing — which is drop the charges that weren’t justified in the first place.”

As Liani left the courtroom on Friday, Assistant District Attorney Jon Pittman shook his hand and said he was sorry.

A spokeswoman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday about why charges were initially filed against Liani.

In the meantime, Frederick Schulman, 72, of New York, who is also accused in the case, waived his charges to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. He is expected to testify for the prosecution when the hearing against the third defendant, Moshe Silber, 36, resumes on March 28.

The men were charged for their alleged role in diverting $580,000 to third-party companies controlled by Silber instead of using it to improve the Mon View Heights housing complex.

Silber and Schulman bought the 326-unit development under the entity Mon View Apts LLC in December 2022 for $17 million. Liani testified that he is not one of the owners.

Allegheny County Police detectives have linked Silber and Schulman to several other properties in the region that authorities said have similar troubling living conditions.

These include Valley Royal Court in New Kensington, Palisades Manor in Rankin, Bethesda Wilkinsburg Apartments and Gallatin Apartments in Uniontown as well as Bedford Hill Apartments, Central Hill Apartments, Elhome Apartments, Kelly Hamilton Apartments and Hill Com I and II — all in Pittsburgh.

Silber called in to his preliminary hearing Friday from Monmouth County Jail in New Jersey.

Schulman, who is on house arrest in New Jersey, also attended virtually.

Both Silber and Schulman pleaded guilty in federal court in New Jersey last year to participating in an extensive, multi-year mortgage fraud conspiracy to obtain $119 million in loans.

They will be sentenced in that case on March 18.

At Friday’s hearing in West Mifflin, prosecutors called five witnesses to describe the condition of the Mon View Heights property.

West Mifflin police Chief Gregory McCulloch detailed how conditions at the housing complex along Midway Drive deteriorated starting around March 2023. Trash wasn’t being collected, the grass wasn’t being cut, and police received multiple calls for raccoons and skunks roaming the apartments, McCulloch said.

The issue was raised to the district attorney’s office in September, when McCulloch said his officers observed raw sewage flowing into a parking lot and onto the spot where children wait for the school bus. Nuisance charges were filed against the owners, followed by a litany of criminal charges.

According to West Mifflin police, the department responded to 502 calls in the complex during a six-month period last year, including 31 domestic disputes, 12 reports of shots fired and 24 welfare checks. As a result, at least 62 arrests were made or warrants issued.

Of the 129 units inspected last summer, 96 failed, according to a criminal complaint.

“Mon View had their problems,” McCulloch said. “Never at any time has it gotten to the point where it’s been since mid-2023.”

Liani testified that he worked for Silber as a bookkeeper from 2019 to the start of 2024.

As part of Silber’s testimony, his lawyer, Tina Miller, had Liani read off details about roughly 100 checks that he cut while working for Silber and Schulman. The payments covered services such as pest control, plumbing repairs and maintenance on the property.

Liani said he ultimately stopped working for Silber and Schulman and claimed they owed him $250,000 in unpaid fees.