In Queens, an alleged drug dealer took over an apartment after the owner passed away due to a heroin and fentanyl overdose. Joseph Pisano, 53, reportedly entered Anneliese King’s apartment in Jamaica Estates after they met at a senior center near her building. The landlord and neighbors informed The Post that King, a former administrative assistant who was described as a longtime heroin addict, let Pisano into her fifth-floor one-bedroom unit where she paid $1,451.40 per month in rent.
Pisano allegedly sold drugs from the apartment at night, with neighbors reporting that drug users would mistakenly ring King’s doorbell, looking for him. After King was found dead on May 20th of an overdose, Pisano returned to the apartment and continued occupying it along with another woman, according to Queens Housing Court records. The pair lived there rent-free for over two months.
Following King’s death, the building’s sense of security was shattered as squatters and drug users moved in, leading many residents to feel unsafe in their own homes. An NYPD spokesperson stated that there were no drug-related 911 calls for the building this year. The landlord issued an eviction notice in June against Pisano and his companion before asking a Queens Housing Court judge to remove them.
Pisano was arrested on July 31st during a 6 a.m. raid, where police found evidence of drug sales, including a scale covered in cocaine residue and various vials and envelopes containing drugs. He pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to nine months in Rikers Island prison. Another woman, Kelly King, who may or may not be related to the late tenant Anneliese King, was also arrested on drug charges but given probation after her guilty plea.
The apartment remains empty and bolted shut as the landlord awaits an eviction warrant from a housing court judge in order to legally re-enter the space.
