The Big Apple’s so-called “worst landlord,” Daniel Ohebsiaolum, has been indicted on charges that he harassed rent-regulated tenants, forced them out of their apartments with “uninhabitable” conditions, and then sold the building to make money. announced by the prosecutor’s office.
Mr. Ohebsiaolum’s latest legal troubles come just a month after he was locked up for hundreds of violations at just two properties in Manhattan.
He was indicted Wednesday by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on charges of tenant abuse dating back several years. These included neglecting maintenance until the unit broke, withholding heat and hot water during the winter, and not installing basic locks on the front door.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Mr. Ohebshaolum’s goal was to create and exploit such “terrifying living conditions” to force long-time tenants to leave, and then to sell his buildings vacant so he could sell them for a higher price. The plan was to convert an old apartment into a multi-bedroom unit.
The plan, called an “engineering vacancy,” was openly discussed by the landlord and his business partners, while he allegedly forged documents proving the completion of maintenance on the building that he had never performed.
In other instances, Mr. Ohevshalom even listed the names of employees of affiliated companies instead of his own on construction documents to hide his ownership and avoid dealing with construction issues, the report said. the DA argued.
“This defendant engaged in a pattern of neglect aimed at evicting rent-regulated apartment tenants by creating unsafe and uninhabitable conditions for them,” said Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber. Stated.
Mr. Ohebshalom, a member of a large family of city landlords, was jailed on Rikers Island in March for leaving nearly 700 violations unattended at two apartment buildings in Manhattan.
He was promptly punched in the face within hours of being booked.
“God, please forgive me for laughing,” said Nelly, 37, a tenant in his Upper Manhattan building, upon hearing the news.
Another resident, who doesn’t speak English, smiled and gave a thumbs up when the word was translated.
They are just two of the many residents living in the Oheb Shalom building. They complained of infested cockroaches, rats chewing through the walls, black mold, lead paint, flashing lights and unattended water leaks with holes in the ceiling and walls.
In at least one incident, a damaged ceiling fell onto a young child, prosecutors alleged in the indictment.
“New Yorkers have the right to live in apartments without fear for their safety,” Bragg said. “Landlords have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their tenants.”
Ohebshalom is charged with eight counts of harassment of a rent-regulated tenant in the first degree, 29 counts of presenting a false document on a first-degree tax return, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The allegations stem from five of the landlord’s buildings across Manhattan, and four companies connected to the transactions were also indicted.
