Con Edison building (Image courtesy of Stig Nygaard).
According to the Daily News, the son of murdered Bay Ridge clothier Mohamed Gebeli will no longer have to pay an electric bill that ballooned to over $700 while the family store was kept off limits - and the shop’s lights were kept on – as police spent over two months investigating the crime scene for clues.
The alleged killer, Salvatore “Son of Sal” Perrone, was arrested on Nov. 21, and charged with the murder of three Brooklyn shopkeepers – the first of which was Mohamed Gebeli.
From Daily News:
Mohammed Gebeli, 65, was shot dead July 6 at Valentino’s Fashions [ibid] in Bay Ridge — the first of Salvatore Perrone’s three suspected victims.
Police kept the store closed while they conducted the investigation.
Gebeli’s son, Moe, got the shop keys back on Sept. 20 after he returned from Egypt, where he buried his father and visited relatives. The lights were on for more than two months.
Moe Gebeli then received a letter from Con Edison which threatened to take away the clothing store’s electrical meter – unless the family paid $734.66.
While Con Ed acknowledged to reporters that Gebeli had called customer service and mentioned the police investigation, they denied knowing that his father had been killed.
On Friday, November 31, the utility agreed to prorate the bill – virtually eliminating any charges that had accrued during the period when family members didn’t have access to the store.
But despite the apparent happy ending, just as many Hurricane Sandy victims have learned while living in houses without power, the bills – they just keep on coming…
“I’m glad you’re telling me that,” Moe Gebeli told Daily News. “Because I just got another bill in the mail today for $1,627.49.”
Tonight, Community Board 10 will hold its monthly General Board Meeting.