Robert P. Rubicco: Criminal, Liar, Fraud, Daycare Operator: Table of Contents
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (December 10, 2025) — A local muralist has joined the growing list of victims of Robert Rubicco’s trail of deceit and unpaid debts.
Peter Leeds, a professional muralist from Dobbs Ferry, successfully sued Robert Rubicco, and his wife Christina Rubicco co-owners of Anna & Jack’s Treehouse of Larchmont at 7 North Avenue in Larchmont, in White Plains City Court. He has still not been paid more than a year later.
The Westchester County artist secured a $5,000 small claims judgment against the owners of Anna & Jack’s Treehouse daycare after they allegedly refused to pay for a completed exterior mural that the Village of Larchmont later ordered painted over, in a case that echoes the daycare operator’s long history of contractual disputes and civil judgments against Rob Rubicco exceeding $1 million.
The amount was less than Leeds was owed but he calculated that hiring a lawyer to get all he was owed would net him less than $5,000, the maximum allowed in small claims court, once attorney fees were deducted.
“I took two weeks off of my day-job to work on the mural up until October 17th,” said Leeds. “I lost two weeks of income because they told me it was done and they liked it the way it was. Even after winning in court I still have not been paid the balance due.”
The dispute arose from a September 2024 agreement for an $8,000 treehouse-themed mural, with $4,000 paid upfront, $4,000 due upon completion and a $1,500 bonus if finished before Oct. 17, 2024.
What Rubicco had in mind was a mural high enough and large enough to act as a highway billboard to advertise his daycare center.
Law-enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police and several county Child Protective Services units, strongly discourage highly visible signage that clearly announces the presence of large numbers of very young children in one location for predictable hours each day. A 40-foot mural facing the New England Thruway would function as a prominent beacon declaring “hundreds of preschoolers are inside this building every weekday,” effectively stripping away the low-profile obscurity that security experts recommend for facilities serving vulnerable children. This is the same principle that has led many elementary schools in recent years to remove or avoid oversized highway-facing identification for exactly the same reason: while no single sign or mural would directly cause harm, eliminating an unnecessary public advertisement of where very young children congregate reduces one small but real layer of risk.
Leeds completed the work on Oct. 2, 2024, and notified the Rubiccos, who initially responded, “We love the way it looks.” The artist sought the remaining $5,500.
“I wanted to adjust the colors and finish the agreed image,” Leeds said, “but Christina had final say when it was completed.”
Rob Rubicco, who has a long history of not paying his debts, chose to dispute the hours worked, claiming the mural appeared completed in “one night” rather than the estimated 80-120 hours.
Rubicco later cited a Village of Larchmont requirement to paint over the mural for lack of approval from the Board of Architectural Review. BAR approval was Rubicco’s responsibility not the muralist.
The Rubiccos offered $6,000 if Leeds redid the mural but tied full payment to a new version.
Leeds demanded payment under the original fixed-price contract, arguing the regulatory issue was not his responsibility.
After the Rubiccos failed to appear in court, White Plains City Court entered a default judgment on Aug. 13, 2025, awarding Leeds $5,000 plus 9 percent post-judgment interest. As of October 2025, the total owed stood at approximately $5,016.
When Leeds went to Larchmont with the court decision in hand, seeking payment, Rubicco told him to come back with the Sheriff.
Enforcement proceedings are currently underway, with execution issued to levy on the Rubiccos’ property or bank accounts at the daycare address. No appeal has been filed by Rubicco as of Dec. 10, 2025.
The judgment against the Rubiccos is among at least 10 civil lawsuits naming Robert Rubicco or his companies for unpaid loans, contractual disputes and debt collection, with public records showing judgments and liens totaling well over $1 million, including a 2022 settlement for roughly $166,000 over a breach of contract. Several cases remain pending in Westchester, Nassau and New York City courts.
Rubicco’s civil troubles follow a criminal record that includes a 2011 federal conviction for accessing a computer without authorization and obtaining confidential information, resulting in a misdemeanor plea, four months of home confinement and $10,240 in restitution. He violated probation in 2013 due to attempts to influence drug test results and a history of substance abuse involving cocaine, leading to a 21-day federal prison sentence and one year of supervised release, with the case concluding in 2017 after full restitution.
Earlier convictions include a 2010 guilty plea to tampering with a witness after charges of bribing a witness in a credit card fraud case involving his brother, for which he received three years of probation. In 2002, Rubicco pleaded guilty to petit larceny and criminal mischief after stealing a deceased North Castle police sergeant’s gold shield from a memorial plaque and using it to impersonate the officer at a New Jersey bar, along with possessing a fabricated police ID and an altered stolen driver’s license. He has a history of drug dealing.
Rubicco’s pattern of deceit and non-payment has left a trail of financial victims, from former employers to business partners, with ongoing enforcement actions like the one against Leeds highlighting risks to creditors and contractors dealing with Anna & Jack’s Treehouse, which has faced dozens of violations from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services at the New Rochelle location (License/Registration ID 753272) since its 2016 licensing, including two major violations pertaining to child abuse, one pertaining to background checks, 13 fire safety issues (three of which remain uncorrected), inadequate supervision leaving children without competent oversight, failure to obtain written approval for building changes affecting child care areas or emergency egress (noted as uncorrected in the October 27, 2025, monitoring inspection), staff failing to submit required medical statements before involvement in child care work, supervision of prospective employees pending background checks, mixing age groups in violation of regulations, and presence of vermin on the premises; at least five violations at the Pelham location (License/Registration ID 872577) since its 2022 licensing, such as exceeding the licensed child capacity, failing to maintain required temperatures of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit in rooms occupied by children, lacking a current certificate of occupancy or fire/building code compliance documentation, and operating beyond the terms of the license including maximum child numbers and age ranges; and multiple violations at the Larchmont location (License/Registration ID 909417) since its 2023 licensing, including inadequate supervision, building code compliance issues, mixing groups of children in outdoor or common areas without sufficient space to keep them separate, failure to immediately call 911 and notify parents in cases of accidents or illnesses requiring emergency medical care, and uncorrected issues with fingerprint submissions for criminal history reviews and operating beyond licensed capacity and age ranges as of the November 5, 2025, monitoring inspection.
Larchmont Architectural Review Board
In November 2024, Rob Rubicco did what he should have done before hiring Leeds, he filed an application with the Larchmont Architectural Review Board. The ARB is responsible for reviewing all proposed exterior improvements and alterations in the Village, both residential and commercial. Its mission is to preserve and promote the character and appearance of the Village. In the course of its review, it seeks to encourage attractive and appropriate exterior building design schemes and to relate such design and appearance to the sites and surrounding structures.
The storefront signage proposal for the building at 7-11 North Avenue (6-2-864), submitted by Rob Rubicco, was first presented to the Village of Larchmont Architectural Review Board on November 20, 2024. The Board expressed significant concerns with the original design, particularly the large graphic or mural element, which members described as resembling graffiti. They felt it was positioned too high on the façade, had poor proportions, and detracted from the character of the streetscape. After discussion about whether the graphic should be painted or applied as removable vinyl, Nina Gladstone suggested lowering it to read more like a tree or landscape feature, while Ken Ricci called for further study of the proportions. The applicant agreed to revise the design by dropping the graphic lower, adjusting its scale, and switching to removable vinyl, and the case was adjourned.
The revised application returned on December 18, 2024, but was again adjourned, as additional refinements were still needed or that the Board required more time for review.
On January 29, 2025, the applicant presented the final revised signage package. With the graphic lowered, proportions corrected, and removable vinyl specified, the Board found the design acceptable. The application was unanimously approved by a 5-0 vote.
After two adjournments and multiple rounds of revisions, the storefront signage at 7-11 North Avenue received full approval from the Larchmont Architectural Review Board.
Since then no vinyl image of the Treehouse logo has been affixed to the exterior of the building.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.