An extraordinary tale of betrayal has emerged from New York City’s high-end real estate scene. A lawsuit alleges that a Sotheby’s realtor turned against his affluent yet undocumented Irish partner, leveraging their legal status in a bitter dispute over a $4.3 million apartment.
The complaint paints a dramatic picture of how 45-year-old Nicholas Kjos allegedly manipulated the undocumented status of his partner, 46-year-old Patrick Moran. Last October, Kjos reportedly allowed eight armed ICE agents into their luxurious Tribeca residence by remotely unlocking the door. This move, according to the lawsuit, was part of a calculated plan to exploit Moran’s vulnerability.
Kjos, whose past includes stints as a cruise ship singer and an aspiring Broadway artist, is accused of falsely implicating Moran in drug trafficking activities, specifically the sale of crystal meth, to draw ICE’s attention. This startling accusation, first brought to light by The Independent, adds a dramatic twist to an already complex legal battle.
The demise of their long-standing relationship began in 2005, when mutual friends introduced the couple. At that time, Moran was a thriving construction worker with an impressive annual income of $300,000. Meanwhile, Kjos was pursuing a less stable career in the entertainment industry, performing on cruise ships and aiming for Broadway success, claims the lawsuit.
Within six months of meeting, the couple decided to live together, forging a life where Moran’s substantial earnings supported their shared expenses over nearly two decades. Now, this once prosperous partnership has disintegrated into a legal confrontation, with allegations of deceit and manipulation threatening to overshadow their shared history.
After just six months the two moved in together and over the course of the last twenty years they shared Moran’s income to cover their living expenses, Moran says.
Moran said in the papers that his salary covered rent and utilities for their New York home, as well as utilities for another home in San Antonio, Texas.
His income also allegedly paid down payments for Kjos’s car, renovations for the San Antonio home, his partner’s health insurance, credit card bills and cash expenses, it is claimed.
Kjos’s career in real estate ’emphasized image’ and lead to them purchasing Range Rovers, a Mercedes and a Porsche – all paid for by Moran, according to the filings.
Nicholas Kjos, pictured, has been accused of setting Immigration and Customs Enforcement on his wealthy Irish boyfriend who put the couple’s $4.3 million New York City apartment entirely in Kjos’s name
Patrick Moran, seen here, was grabbed by ICE agents last October after his partner claimed he sold crystal meth, as part of a conspiracy to force him from their shared apartment, court papers said. Moran had been living undocumented in the US for decades and was sent home to Ireland
The realtor now appears to have an established career with Sotheby’s and he was recently hired to sell an $11.5 million property in New York City.
Kjos and Moran bought their Tribeca apartment in September 2021 and were also devoted to their Bernedoodle, Benji who became ‘a beloved part of their shared life together’.
The court papers said that there was a ‘mutual understanding’ that everything between the two was shared.
Things began to go wrong while the couple were renovating their NYC apartment, the court papers claim.
Moran claimed that Kjos referred to him as a ‘f****** immigrant’ and threatened to report him to the authorities over his undocumented status.
The filings said that Moran put this down to the stress of the renovation as costs rose but conceded their romance had ended.
The couple agreed to sell their apartment in San Antonio, finish off the Tribeca project and sell it before parting ways, the complaint said.
As it neared completion, Kjos ordered Moran to move out of the home to sell it, Moran’s filing says.
The couple had a $4.3 million apartment in this building in New York City’s trendy Tribeca neighborhood
Tribeca has long been one of NYC’s most desirable neighborhoods and is home to stars including Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep
In August of last year Moran returned home to the address to find a notice ordering him to leave the address within ten days, the filing said. Kjos stayed at their home in San Antonio at the time with Benji.
Moran took the matter to court where Kjos’s lawyer ‘falsely accused [Moran] of selling methamphetamine’, the lawsuit claims.
The filing said that Moran has never sold drugs, never being charged with doing so and no drugs were found inside the home when he was grabbed by ICE agents.
After that, Kjos called ICE and accused Moran of selling drugs, the complaint said, ‘to escalate the justification of his detention’.
On the morning of October 31 last year Kjos unlocked the door via an app on his phone and allowed eight armed ICE agents inside to detain him.
They searched the home and found no evidence of drugs inside, the court papers said.
After he was removed from the address it is claimed that Kjos used the app on his phone to remotely lock the door.
‘This was part of Defendant’s scheme to evict Plaintiff, wrongfully obtain sole control, ownership and possession of the property’, the complaint added.
After four weeks in ICE custody, which saw him carted off to a facility in San Diego, Moran self deported back to Ireland where he remains.
Moran has sued for half of the couple’s shared assets and joint custody of their dog.
Speaking with The Independent, Moran said: ‘It was just sad. I was in a relationship for 20 years with this person, and as far as I was concerned, there wasn’t going to be another person.’
His attorney Andreas Vasilatos told the Daily Mail that after Moran originally took his partner to court he ‘disappeared into a blackhole’ following his ICE arrest.
Vasilatos was unaware his client had been nabbed by agents until friends of Moran and his father back in Ireland reached out.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, attorneys for Kjos said they would present a ‘vigorous defense’ to the allegations.
They added: ‘[We] are confident our client will prevail once the issues are raised in the court system, which has already awarded our client legal possession of the disputed apartment.’
The Daily Mail contacted Sotheby’s for comment.
