Private investigators are now looking into a series of criminal acts against the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, including a burglary committed less than a month after the property was vandalized in December.

On Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m., several unidentified individuals approached the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, also known as FiJi, located at 727 Comstock Ave. The individuals broke in through the basement and vandalized the house through various acts, including throwing paint. The number of items stolen is currently unknown, but the act was a “definite break-in and definite vandalism,” said Bill Sokol, vice president of the Syracuse University Association of Zeta Psi, which owns the property. The Department of Public Safety responded to the scene.

The house has seen at least four incidents of vandalism since it changed hands on Aug. 1 from being leased by Sigma Alpha Mu to FiJi, Sokol said. Last March, FiJi signed a three-year lease agreement to live in the house. Zeta Psi rented the house to Sigma Alpha Mu starting in 2007.

On Dec. 24, two unidentified individuals smashed seven of the house’s windows with hammers. No one has been arrested in connection to the incident. It has been included as part of an umbrella investigation into vandalism at the house and the recent break-in.

Sokol said the house has had difficulty identifying suspects because the surveillance system doesn’t fully cover the property, but he said investigators have a “pretty good look” at the people involved in the break-in. Since the vandalism in December, Sokol said the fraternity has increased its security — enough to be able to “see who comes and goes.”

“When we made the change over (in ownership), we anticipated there may be some pranking, but this has been prolonged and needs to be escalated, and the first step is identifying those responsible,” Sokol said.

In response to these issues, Sokol said Zeta Psi officials hired a professional security firm to help identify possible suspects of the break-in. He said officials plan to press criminal charges regardless of the suspects’ affiliation, but if they are a part of another fraternity organization on campus, there will be a separate discussion with the university.

The private investigator has been in contact with both DPS and the Syracuse Police Department, said Ira Berkowitz, an adviser for Zeta Psi, in an email. He added that he could not comment on the results of the investigation but said Zeta Psi is “taking action.”

“Our main concerns are the safety of the current students living in 727 and to make sure that no additional damage is done to the house, as that is the property of the Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi,” Berkowitz said.
The property has been in a state of disrepair for several years, Sokol said, even before FiJi began its lease. He said Zeta Psi has been repairing the house since FiJi moved in, including refinishing the floors and repainting several rooms.

Said Sokol: “We’ve put a fair amount of money back into the house, so it’s disheartening for us that we’re making progress and then the windows get smashed and the house gets broken into.”

Published on January 27, 2014 at 12:37 am

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu