Two Brooklyn landlords this week answered to charges of harassing and illegally forcing rent-stabilized tenants out of their apartments.
Joel and Aaron Israel own several buildings in Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
The brothers were arrested in April, accused of deliberately destroying the kitchens and bathrooms in several apartments under the guise of renovations.
Prosecutors charged they wanted to remove rent-stabilized tenants, to rent the apartments at market rate.
As part of a deal, the two have pleaded guilty to scheming to defraud and unlawful eviction.
Both will receive five years probation, perform community service, and pay a nearly a quarter-million dollars in restitution.
13 comments:
These are the unintended consequences of Government trying to finagle the invisible hand of the free market.
Forcing a land owner to accept less than market value with no benefit in return is comparable to forcing a person to work for much less than minimum wage in an exploitation scheme!
Another unsuccessful Governmental price manipulation...
"Joel and Aaron Israel own several buildings in Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg."
Well, there you go. These bags of shit and dicks are basically 4 star generals of the Gentrification Industrial Complex, being that those towns is where the niche real estate market rate speculation/fabrications got overblown.
And for all the pain and torment they caused, they are basically rewarded by this city for their grotesque criminal acts with probation and a measly fine and community service. Does that mean they continue to run those properties as part of their community service? And all those people they attempted to disenfranchise and add to the massive homeless populace have to see them still?
These fat fucks deserve to go to Rikers or some prison upstate. But it's not possible with this criminal mayor we have and a weakened and compromised justice system beholden to immoral moneyed interests.
I agree that the government shouldn't be setting the price, but that said, the answer is not for people to engage in these slumlord practices and screw people over with these living conditions. You and the landlord make an agreement on a price and then they want more so they turn the place into a drug den, cut off your heat/water, etc.? The penalty is merely community service and restitution? They're getting off way too easy. These slumlords should be forced to live in a slum for triple the time as their tenants...and pay triple restitution.
"Another unsuccessful Governmental price manipulation.."
Typical, dumb remark. Rent regulation is one of thew tenuous and only factors that preserve truly affordable housing for the working class.
Shysters, like these two, buy these buildings at inflated prices, fully aware of the rent rolls with the intention of harassing the residents out.
Whenever they succeed it is more than an inconvenience to the victim -it can put their life in a death spiral. Most of these people will not be able to find another place to live at a price they can afford.
This leads to homelessness, loss of employment and sometimes, death.
All to sate the greed of some worthless leech.
these scumbags bought buildings at far less then the market value due to the restriction on the amount of rent they could get.
then proceeded to get rich quick but kicking out low paying tenants. if they waited till they died or moved into a nursing home they could have made those apartments market rate legally.
but tenant groups are really stupid, there is no incentive to just paint and raise the rent $50, all the incentives are putting $3000 viking pro ranges on 6th floor walkups expensive fixtures, luxury lobbies, bamboo floors and jacking the rate $500.....then find the worst tenants, students divorcees, who wont stay long or keep evicting then adding 20% for each "new" vacancy...
Slap on the wrist, as expected.
Thanks, sarc. You're right. They're heroes. They should be on a stamp. Actually, scratch that. The US Post Office is a public institution.
Maybe we can just send them to a private prison, thus ensuring the American way.
Incredible ! No jail time for these low life's is a crime of itself and a evil deed !
they are getting off way too easy. put them in prison.
Community service? Big effing deal. That's nothing.
These mutts knew the rules of the game before they started playing, just hoping to flip a rent stabilized building into high priced hipster cribs. Fuck'em.
Community service?
Yeah...make 'em shovel shit in Siberia in bikinis.
heard its warm in Siberia with the ice caps melted
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