The co-owner of a Brooklyn construction company embroiled in a corruption investigation against New York City Mayor Eric Adams boasted of a lavish, globe-trotting lifestyle despite several troubling legal battles.
Turkish-born Erden Arkan, 74, co-owner of KSK Construction Group, regularly flaunts on social media his jet-setting tactics to posh resorts in Japan, Turkey, Greece and other countries.
In addition to his regular tropical retreats, Arkan and his wife Itir, 73, have splurged on a cool $2.1 million sixth-floor Manhattan apartment at 570 Broome Street, the same building where it was built He is currently facing an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit in 2019, according to the New York Post.
KSK Construction is under investigation for its alleged involvement in a kickback scheme with the Turkish government to funnel money into Adams’ successful 2021 mayoral campaign, which led to the FBI raiding the home of Adams’ top fundraiser on Thursday.
Arkan has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Turkish-born Erden Arkan, 74, co-owner of KSK Construction Group, pictured enjoying a lavish vacation with his wife Itir, a teacher
Arkan’s (far left) KSK Construction company has faced a number of lawsuits, including a wrongful death lawsuit over the crushing death of a worker at a Manhattan construction site in 2021
The businessman regularly flaunts his jet-set lifestyle on social media and owns several high-end properties across the Big Apple
Arkan’s wife Itir also regularly shares lavish vacation photos on her enviable social media accounts, including a post from June 2022 in which Erden sits majestically on a marble throne at the Aphrodisia archaeological site in Turkey.
“#Theking #andhisserf,” she captioned the snap.
The couple’s opulent lifestyle is also funded by their former role as a teacher at the prestigious Marymount School of New York, which charges parents on Manhattan’s Upper East Side a staggering $60,375 a year.
And in addition to their Manhattan condo, the couple also owns a luxurious one-bedroom retreat in Williamsburg, which they reportedly rent out for $4,200 a month.
But before the investigation into Mayor Adams, it was her Manhattan apartment building that had recently given Arkan a headache.
In 2021, the family of war veteran Gregory Echevirria sued several companies, including KSK Construction, that were involved in the construction of 570 Broome Street.
When the high-rise apartment complex was being built in 2019, Echevirria, who was working as a laborer on the site, was crushed by a 7.5-ton counterweight, according to court documents.
The veteran’s family accused KSK and the other companies of negligence, including failing to secure scaffolding and ensuring construction tools such as pulleys were safe. The lawsuit is not yet concluded.
Arkan shares the building with James Bond “No Time to Die” director Cary Fukunaga, who owns the penthouse apartment.
A June 2022 post showing Erden sitting majestically on a marble throne at the Aphrodisia archaeological site in Turkey, which his wife captioned, “#Theking #andhisserf.”
KSK Construction has faced several lawsuits, including allegations that it failed to pay nearly $178,000 in 2016 invoices from engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti Inc
The luxury vacations flaunted on Arkan’s social media are also aided by his wife’s (pictured) previous career as a teacher at the prestigious Marymount School of New York, which charges parents on Manhattan’s Upper East Side a staggering $60,375 a year
Arkan owns a $2.1 million apartment at 570 Broome Street, a high-rise in Manhattan’s West Village that KSK helped build. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed in 2021, two years after a worker was crushed to death by a 7-ton counterweight
According to court documents first reported by The Post, the ongoing wrongful death lawsuit followed a series of similar misconduct allegations.
KSK is accused of failing to pay nearly $178,000 in 2016 bills from engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti Inc. related to the construction of a property in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Arkan’s company reportedly did not dispute the outstanding charges and expressed frustration as to why they were ignored.
The next year, KSK also reportedly tried to avoid a fine imposed by the Department of Buildings by filing a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against the department’s commissioner, Rick Chandler.
The construction company reportedly claimed it was overcharged by $10,000 as it also faced an identical fine to its subcontractor for allegedly failing to ensure an adjacent balcony was protected from falls.
It’s unclear where the company stands on its various lawsuits. KSK did not immediately respond when contacted by .
Despite numerous legal disputes, the construction guru apparently did not let the various lawsuits hinder his elaborate travel plans.
His social media accounts include hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia, Turkey, and a recent trip in March to the Japanese city of Osaka, a month before her next trip to Turkey.
Records show he was also an ardent supporter of Adams, donating $1,500 to the former police officer’s 2021 campaign and also hosting a fundraiser in May 2021 that raised nearly $70,000 for his run for mayor.
Eric Adams told Pix11 on Friday that he believes there was no wrongdoing in his 2021 campaign, stating, “Sometimes there is smoke without fire.”
Brianna Suggs, 25, is a top fundraiser for the campaign of Eric Adams, whose Brooklyn home was raided by the FBI on Thursday
FBI investigators raided the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs, 25, on Thursday and reportedly uncovered a straw donor scheme to funnel donations from the Turkish government.
A straw donor is an illegal donation using another party’s money under a pseudonym to conceal the origin of the funds.
The FBI seized phones, laptops and documents as part of its investigation into Adams’ 2021 campaign.
In a strange twist, it emerged Friday that a welfare check was filed on Suggs’ home on Wednesday evening – hours before the FBI raid.
Responding to the raid, Adams defended his young aide following the FBI investigation, insisting that sometimes there is “smoke without fire.”
Neither Adams nor Suggs has been accused of wrongdoing, and Adams said Friday he was confident his team acted within the law. He promised to cooperate fully with any investigation but said he had not been contacted by law enforcement.