Ritzy Hamptons town goes to war with millionaire homeowner for making controversial change to his mansion

A lavish Hamptons town demolished a millionaire homeowner's private walkway after waging a legal battle to protect the sand dune it covered.

The Town of East Hampton destroyed the wooden structure that connected 88 South Emerson Avenue in Montauk to the beach after winning a court order to do so.

Attorneys for the town argued the property owner, Myfour Realty, a limited liability company controlled by Roy Tuccillo Sr., constructed the walkway without a permit after an environmental agency had cleared an accessway.

In a drastic move, the glitzy New York hamlet took their case to the the Suffolk County Supreme Court and got an order to tear down the wooden structure he had built after claiming they issued multiple warnings to Tuccillo. 

'In the three years I've been out here, we've never demolished a structure. That's uncommon. Usually, we get compliance at some point,' Kevin Cooper, the town's director of code enforcement, told The East Hampton Star.

The Town of East Hampton destroyed the wooden structure that connected the $2 million home (pictured) at 88 South Emerson Avenue, owned by Roy Tuccillo Sr., to the beach

'They made a path for him,' said Cooper. 'He disregarded it and did his own thing.'

Tuccillo constructed the robust walkway at his nearly $2 million beachfront mansion after the federal Army Corps of Engineers created out a sand pathway with beach grass along the dune as part of the Fire Island to Montauk Point beach replenishment project.

Only the town, county, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps are permitted to make changes to the dune.

'We have made every effort to work with the property owner to resolve this matter amicably,' Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said.

'However, the integrity of our dunes is critical to our community's safety and environmental health. We will not hesitate to enforce our laws to ensure the well-being of our residents and the protection of our coastline.' 

Cooper said Marine Patrol caught Tuccillo building the walkway and he told them he had permission. By the time the town learned of his project, it was already built.

The town obtained a court order from the Suffolk County Supreme Court to demolish the walkway after Tuccillo built it without a permit and ignored their orders

This prompted the town to go to the Suffolk County Supreme Court to get a court order which granted the town board permission issue a resolution to destroy the structure.

'The Town Board's resolution, and the easement itself, gives the Town the authority to take action,' Town Attorney Robert Connelly told Long Island Life & Politics. 

'The Town has proceeded with the removal of the illegal structure to uphold the conditions set forth in the agreement easement. This is essential to maintaining the effectiveness of the Town's storm damage reduction measures.'

The beach replenishment project is aimed at preserving the sane dunes and preventing erosion.

'Preserving our dunes and beach systems is vital for protecting Montauk's coastline from erosion and storm damage,' said Town Councilmember David Lys. 

'The Easement area plays a crucial role in these efforts, and any unauthorized structures compromise its function. The Town's action is a necessary step to safeguard our natural resources.'

DailyMail.com reached out to Tuccillo for comment. 

Tuccillo built the structure after an approved environmental agency cleared an accessway along the dune with beach grass 

Tuccillo has a track record of ignoring orders from the town and even previous run-ins with the law.

Property records show Tuccillo bought the beachfront property in 2014 for $1.2 million.

In February 2022 the homeowner was caught building retaining walls, a first story addition, a second story addition and a second story deck without a permit, according to records obtained by The Star.

On three separate occasions he was found in violation of a stop-work order and one time refused to identify himself to authorities after being caught by town enforcement.

In 2019, Tuccillo and his son Roy Tuccillo Jr. pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges for falsely labeling giant squid from Peru as octopus and selling it to grocery stores across the country.