Attorney General James Stops Montgomery County Landlord from Discriminating Against Low-Income Renters

October 27, 2025

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today stopped Montgomery County property owner Cesar Sosa and his companies from illegally discriminating against low-income New Yorkers. An investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Sosa, who owns or manages 57 residential buildings in Amsterdam, New York, violated fair housing and human rights laws by refusing to rent to prospective tenants who used Section 8 housing vouchers to pay rent, blocking voucher holders from applying to his apartments, falsely claiming that his buildings were not approved for tenants with housing vouchers, and other discriminatory practices. As a result of a settlement with OAG, Sosa must stop all discriminatory practices and set aside five of his units to rent specifically to tenants who use housing vouchers. Sosa must also pay a $3,000 penalty, and post signs on all his rental properties and language on all online property listings designating his companies as Equal Housing Opportunity Providers.

"All renters deserve fair access to affordable housing regardless of their financial status," said Attorney General James. "Cesar Sosa's unlawful and discriminatory practices denied hardworking New Yorkers the chance to find a safe place to live. My office will always fight for the rights of renters across this state and stop discriminatory practices that worsen our housing crisis."

Housing vouchers, such as the Section 8 Housing Choice voucher program, primarily help low-income New Yorkers access affordable housing through rental assistance. These programs also help seniors, disabled people on fixed incomes, and temporarily displaced families find and keep housing. Denying rental opportunities to potential tenants based on their income source denies New Yorkers access to housing and is discriminatory and unlawful under New York human rights laws. Landlords, property owners, property managers, brokers, rental agents, and salespeople cannot refuse to accept tenants solely based on their use of housing vouchers.

The OAG was alerted to Sosa's discriminatory practices in April 2025. At least two online rental listings made at the time for Sosa's properties stated that potential tenants would not be allowed to pay rent using "any kind" of housing assistance. In May, when a prospective tenant called Sosa asking if she would be able to use vouchers to pay rent, he responded falsely that his properties are "not approved for Section 8." The OAG's investigation found repeated and widespread examples of this kind of discrimination across Sosa's properties.

Sosa must rent at least five of his units to renters using housing assistance with a guaranteed renewal lease of at least one year. He must conduct an affirmative outreach program for these units, giving housing subsidy holders fair opportunities to rent his apartments. Additionally, Sosa and his employees must participate in trainings on fair housing and human rights laws and the terms of this settlement with a trainer to be approved by OAG. Sosa must also post an "Equal Housing Opportunity" sign at all his properties and add language to every rental listing and advertisement for his properties signaling he is an "Equal Housing Opportunity Provider." Sosa will also pay a $3,000 penalty and is liable for an additional $6,000 in penalties if he violates any terms of the settlement.

This is the latest action taken by Attorney General James to protect New Yorkers from housing discrimination. In April, Attorney General James secured a settlement with property owners in the Capital Region for illegally denying housing to low-income renters who were using housing assistance. In August 2024, Attorney General James made Shamco Management Corp. pay $400,000 to low-income tenants in New York City for illegally denying housing opportunities. In February 2024, Attorney General James announced an agreement with real estate broker Pasquale Marciano and his companies to stop illegal policies that denied housing opportunities to low-income renters. In October 2023, Attorney General James took action against another Westchester property owner and manager for discriminating against low-income renters. In 2022, Attorney General James also took action to stop "tenant blacklisting" and partnered with the Housing Rights Initiative (HRI) to stop the real estate company Compass from denying housing to low-income New Yorkers.

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Christopher Lee, civil investigators Stephanie Brideau and Adrienne DeGaetano, and overseen by Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Poughkeepsie Regional Office Vinita Kamath. The Poughkeepsie Regional Office is a part of the Division of Regional Affairs, which is led by Deputy Attorney General Jill Faber. The Division of Regional Affairs is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.