Landlord Is Ordered to Jail Again Over Problems in His Buildings

A New York City landlord, Daniel Ohebshalom, already served a 60-day sentence on Rikers Island this year. But officials and tenants say he still didn’t fix his apartments

Landlords almost never go to jail over bad conditions in their buildings. But one New York City property owner has been ordered to go back for the second time this year.

A New York City housing court judge signed an arrest warrant on Tuesday for the landlord, Daniel Ohebshalom, which calls for him to be detained at Rikers Island for 60 days. The city’s housing department said Mr. Ohebshalom had flouted court orders by failing to address violations for leaks, cockroach infestations and mold in two Washington Heights buildings for more than a year.

The judge, Jack Stoller, said Mr. Ohebshalom could be released early if he fixes the problems before his jail term is over.

The case is an extraordinary example of how hard it can be to hold even the worst landlords accountable.

Even before Mr. Ohebshalom was ordered to go to jail in March, the city said it had brought “more than 10 motions for contempt and civil penalties for failing to comply with court orders to correct housing code violations” in cases involving his buildings. The city public advocate had put him on a “worst landlords” list, and he also faces numerous lawsuits from tenants.

In May, Mr. Ohebshalom was indicted in a separate criminal case “for harassing rent-regulated tenants with horrific living conditions in order to induce them to vacate their apartments and enable him to sell the buildings for significant profit,” the Manhattan district attorney said.

None of those measures, however, appeared to lead Mr. Ohebshalom to fix his buildings, according to housing officials.

Mr. Ohebshalom has said in court papers that in some cases, he has actually fixed many of the problems. In others, he said he was not able to get into the apartments.

lawyer for Mr. Ohebshalom, Vladimir Mironenko, said in court on Monday that repairs were being made at the buildings and urged the judge not to send Mr. Ohebshalom to jail again. He said putting Mr. Ohebshalom in jail would not make the repairs go faster.

“Someone’s freedom is at stake,” Mr. Mironenko said.

Mr. Ohebshalom did not appear in court. Judge Stoller’s order indicated that Mr. Ohebshalom could be in California and said he should be brought back to New York.

Gilbert Butcher, 64, has lived in one of Mr. Ohebshalom’s Washington Heights buildings — 709 West 170th Street — for almost 40 years. He said he has dealt with decades of neglect since Mr. Ohebshalom became the landlord, including heat and hot water outages in winter and ceilings that almost collapsed.

Mr. Butcher, who does interior renovations and teaches tennis, said he pays about $900 a month for his one-bedroom apartment. “Why should I move?” he said. “It’s hard to find affordable housing.”

He attended a rally on Monday afternoon outside the Manhattan courthouse where Mr. Ohebshalom’s case was being heard and said in an interview he hoped the judge sends Mr. Ohebshalom back to jail.

“I do not believe three years or two years is enough,” he said.

The city has struggled at times to maintain its aging housing stock, particularly in affordable and rent-regulated buildings where landlords get relatively less rent. Some property owners opt to routinely pay fines for violations and leave problems unaddressed, housing advocates contend.

Mr. Ohebshalom has become a face of the issue. Because property records can be opaque, it was not immediately clear how many buildings he owns citywide. The May indictment indicates he owns seven in Manhattan.

The case that resulted in his earlier sentence on Rikers Island, however, focused on the two in Washington Heights.