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Marshals are private contractors appointed by the mayor and tasked with booting cars, seizing utility meters, collecting debts on behalf of creditors and locking out tenants after they get eviction orders from judges. The longtime arrangement, where private contractors handle civil enforcement, has faced scrutiny from some lawmakers and“As private citizens, not city employees, marshals tend to have their most profitable years during times of economic hardship for many others,” Councilmember Gale BrewerMarshal incomes increased as evictions rose in the five boroughs following a pandemic-related moratorium on most removals. Marshals locked out tenants from more than 12,000 apartments last year, records show.
Woloz said there are now 28 marshals, down from 31 last year, after two retired and another died. He said they save the city money on staffing by hiring their own workforces. Queens-based marshal Martin Bienstock, who specializes in debt collection, earned nearly $1.8 million last year, records show. His son Gregg Bienstock, with whom he shares an office, earned about $532,000. Marshals Alejandro Finardo and Ronald Moses each earned about $1.5 million.
Other marshals received warnings for arriving early to evict an elderly tenant before a case worker from the city’s Adult Protective Services agency could arrive at the apartment on at least two occasions and for booting the wrong vehicle, according to investigation summaries.