Jared Kushner's Real Estate Company Is Under Investigation for Being Villainous Slumlords
Last weekend, the Associated Press reported that Kushner Companies — the real estate empire formerly overseen by White House senior advisor Jared Kushner — filed false paperwork with the New York City Department of Buildings in order to circumvent regulations meant to keep them from harassing their tenants out of their homes.
As a result of the investigation, city regulators have reportedly launched an investigation into 13 Kushner Cos. properties.
Via the AP:
The Department of Buildings is investigating possible illegal activity involving applications signed by Kushner Cos. officials seeking permission to begin construction work at 13 of the developer’s buildings, according to public records maintained by the regulator. The AP reported Sunday that Kushner Cos. stated in more than 80 of those permit applications that it had zero rent-regulated tenants in its buildings when it, in fact, had hundreds.
[…]
“Our building marshal is a key part of our Tenant Harassment Task Force,” Department of Buildings spokesman Joseph Soldevere told the AP. “And when they inspect a building they look into everything from the roof to the cellar to find illegal construction, and that’s what they are doing.” Soldevere also told the AP that a contractor involved in the filings has already been “disciplined.”
While the false filings were made while Kushner was running the company, the AP says that his name isn’t on any of the filings, although in some instances they were signed by the chief operating officer of the company.