A notorious New York City landlord has been charged with harassment and other crimes for allegedly forcing his tenants to live in unbearable conditions just so he could turn a big profit, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg announced Wednesday.
Daniel Ohebshalom (a.k.a Dan Shalom), along with his four real estate companies, was indicted for harassing rent-regulated tenants with “horrific living conditions” in order to drive them out of their apartments, enabling him to sell the buildings for big money.
The crimes allegedly did not stop inside his dilapidated properties. Shalom — who was listed as the city’s Worst Landlord last year on the Public Advocate’s annual list — is also accused of filing false documents with the city to hide the fact that he owns such decrepit buildings — thus evading responsibility for harassing his tenants.
Shalom is being charged in a NYS Supreme Court indictment with multiple charges of harassment of a rent-regulated tenant in the first degree, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child.
The defendant has five buildings located throughout Manhattan, including two in Washington Heights at 705 and 709 W. 170 St., two in Hell’s Kitchen at 410 and 412 W. 46 St. and another property at 331 E. 14 St. in Gramercy Park.
The charges come less than two months after a judge signed a warrant for Shalom’s arrest over the conditions tenants endured at the Washington Heights properties.
“As alleged, Daniel Ohebshalom took advantage of rent-regulated tenants living in five Manhattan apartment buildings by creating dangerous living conditions in an effort to push them out. New Yorkers deserve to live in their apartments without fearing for their safety,” Bragg said. “Landlords have the responsibility to ensure tenants’ safety.
“A pattern of neglect”
Court documents and photographs indicate the accused slumlord forced tenants to live with a lack of heat and hot water in the frigid months, endure leaks that persisted without repair, and had doors on the front of the building that lacked locks and other security measures.
At one point, the water leaks were so heavy that they caused ceilings to collapse on tenants, including a child, the D.A.’s office said.
Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said she and Bragg “won’t hesitate” to pursue criminal charges against landlords who are alleged to commit offenses like these.
“This defendant created unlivable and dangerous conditions for the tenants in his rent-regulated apartments, a pattern of neglect that was intended to push them out, according to the charges,” Strauber said. “DOI is proud to partner with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and to work with its Housing and Protection Unit on this important case.”
According to Bragg’s office, Shalom filed false documents for his five properties, each with unaddressed violations. They were regularly cited by city agencies for unsafe conditions, requiring that a “responsible party” file paperwork certifying that the conditions had been corrected.
Rather than signing the correction paperwork himself, he used a business associate’s “two young employees to sign as responsible persons for the properties,” Bragg’s office said. In doing so, Shalom was able to thwart enforcement and prolong the neglectful conditions he created.
The names of Shalom’s companies also facing charges are Keystone Management, Inc., Liberty Ventures, Inc., Highpoint Associates Xll, LLC and Belmont Ventures, LLC.
