Realtor allegedly leaked Dulos garage photos, asked to stop

FARMINGTON — Sources close to the estate of Fotis Dulos said his attorneys will likely file a court motion, complaining about a real estate broker allegedly leaking photos of the Jefferson Crossing home’s garage area where his apparent suicide occurred.

Rob Guiffria, of Tea Leaf Realty in West Hartford who is the court-appointed caretaker of the property, was “directed” to stop releasing photos and giving interviews with the media about the 14,000-square-foot house after leaking the images Monday to at least two Connecticut TV stations.

Guiffria, who was hired as the listing agent when the home was put up for sale, has given several interviews with the media over the past eight months as police investigated Fotis Dulos in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos.

One of the photos Guiffria took shows a broken door window where Farmington police are believed to have accessed the garage when they saw Fotis Dulos unresponsive in his running SUV last Tuesday. Other photos show Dulos’ Chevrolet Suburban still parked in the garage and a board that was placed in front of one of the doors.

“I believe in our legal process and I certainly understand that the Farber-Dulos case has become a national, and international case,” said attorney Richard Weinstein, who represents Jennifer Dulos’ mother, Gloria Farber, who is foreclosing on the home. “But there is a sense of decency and a sense of propriety. He has no right to give out interviews or photos and I have directed him not to provide any access to the house.”

Guiffria declined to comment late Monday afternoon, saying he had been instructed by attorneys not to give any interviews.

Attorneys for Fotis Dulos and Farber spoke to a judge by phone Monday to begin the process of sorting out his financial affairs amid two pending foreclosures and $2.5 million in lawsuits that have not been finalized.

Weinstein and attorney Norm Pattis, who represented Dulos in the criminal proceedings, have filed motions asking the Farmington probate judge to appoint a temporary administrator of the estate. The temporary administrator would have to determine if Dulos had a will and if the $2.5 million lawsuits will move forward, Weinstein said.

Weinstein said he was told Monday that Dulos likely did not have a will. Weinstein said any money from Dulos’ estate will go to his five children who have been staying with Farber since their mother disappeared on May 24.

“I’m working for these five kids,” Weinstein said.

The legal wrangling over Dulos’ assets and estate began the day after Farmington police found him unresponsive at his home when he failed to show up at an emergency bond hearing.

Dulos died Thursday at a New York hospital after suffering from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. A representative from the New York medical examiner’s office said Monday the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

In a note found in his car, Dulos said: “I refuse to spend even an hour more in jail.”

Dulos was slated to appear in court last Tuesday for an emergency hearing, where a judge could have revoked his $6 million bond and sent him back to jail.

Fotis Dulos had been on house arrest on charges of felony murder, murder and first-degree kidnapping in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife.

His house at 4 Jefferson Crossing in Farmington is in foreclosure proceedings with Farber seeking to take possession of the property. The Farber family put up more than $2 million in securities and cash as collateral, allowing Fotis and Jennifer Dulos to obtain a mortgage to build the home, court documents said.

Farber paid off the mortgage in July to protect her family’s assets as police continued an intense investigation into the whereabouts of her missing daughter. Fotis Dulos had stopped paying the mortgage in November 2018 as he and Jennifer Dulos were in the midst of a two-year acrimonious divorce.

Hartford Superior Court Judge Cesar Noble agreed Friday to appoint Guiffria as the temporary receiver for the home. As the receiver, Guiffria is responsible for maintaining the house and making sure utilities are paid so the property does not fall into disrepair before Dulos’ financial affairs can be finalized.

But attorney Michael Habib, representing Fotis Dulos in the foreclosure action, objected to the appointment. In a motion filed in response, Habib claimed Guiffria owed Dulos money. Habib is also representing Dulos in a second foreclosure action related to a home at 61 Sturbridge Hill Road in New Canaan that his company was developing for sale. A receiver to take care of that home was appointed last month.

Habib filed a separate request Friday, saying his client’s family wants to stay at the home, which they consider a “safe haven,” as his financial affairs are sorted out. Habib was seeking an emergency hearing on the matter, but no date has been set.