Two Brooklyn landlords indicted over two years ago for trying to force rent-stabilized tenants out of their apartments with deceitful tactics, they pleaded guilty Tuesday to the charges and ordered by a judge to pay up almost $250,000 to their victims.
Joel and Amrom Israel admitted to Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun that they maliciously schemed to destroy apartments in four of their buildings, located in Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg, in order to push out their tenants and raise rents to market rates.
“Landlords across Brooklyn should be put on notice by today’s felony guilty pleas that illegal actions they may take to harass and intimidate tenants in rent regulated apartments will not go unpunished,” said Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Joel, 35, and Amrom, 38, were ordered to pay back the money to the eight effected families within six months before they'll get sentenced to five years probation and perform 500 hours of community service.
In addition to their criminal restitution payments, the Israel brothers will settle claims by the Governor’s Tenant Protection Unit by agreeing to a five-year settlement plan, prosecutors said.
“I promise to continue to vigorously prosecute building owners who brazenly flout the law as they try to illegally evict protected tenants,” said Gonzalez.
They were excused from attending court for their three month update in March 2017.
If they’re not compliant with their plea bargain, they each face up to four years behind bars.
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