Owner ordered to demolish historic Aaron's building in Connellsville

The owner of the historic Aaron's building in Connellsville has less than 30 days to demolish the hazardous structure.

"Either they will demolish it or we will," said Connellsville Redevelopment Authority President Dexston Reed.

The building at 139 N. Pittsburgh St. was deemed to be a safety hazard by the Connellsville Board of Health because it is leaning substantially on the side that faces Pittsburgh Street.

In 2006, the building was purchased in an eBay auction for $20,000 by Mohamed Aly, 43, the owner of a New Jersey auto dealership.

In a December 2006 trip to Connellsville, Aly mentioned plans to replace the crumbling roof and create office and retail space and New York City-style loft apartments in the building.

However, in 2007, Aly was charged with racketeering, leading a narcotics trafficking network, conspiracy, money laundering and failure to file tax returns in connection with an illegal, multimillion-dollar prescription painkiller ring.

Aly, who uses the name of Mohamed Hassanain, pleaded guilty to racketeering and money laundering and will be sentenced Oct. 26 in Essex County, N.J.

Hassanain admitted that between July 2005 and January 2007, he headed the ring that sold about 40,000 OxyContin and percocet pills per week. Most went to a distribution ring based in Bronx, N.Y., which sold some of the drugs to a ring in the Boston area.

This is the not the first time the 110 year-old Aaron's building has been deemed unsafe.

Former owner Richard DiCenzo of Uniontown was fined $8,053 in September 2005 for allegedly letting the structure become a public nuisance. Pieces of the facade, weighing as much as 10 pounds, had fallen onto North Pittsburgh Street.

But a Fayette County judge dismissed the fine, ruling the citation "insufficient."

DiCenzo bought the Aaron's building in 1978, just after the furniture store went out of business. It has been vacant since then.

The building was sold in November 2005 for $5,000 to Divito B. Corteal and Frank W. Corteal. The deed was then transferred in April to D&F Services.

D&F Services was listed as owing more than $2,000 in taxes on the property, according to the county Tax Claim Bureau. There were no liens.

Aly paid the taxes upon purchase.

If Aly doesn't respond to the request to demolish the building after the 30-day period ends, it will be up to the city to find money to demolish it.