'New York's worst landlord' faces 20 charges

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Multimillionaire Stephen Croman, who is on the so-called list of "worst landlords in New York", could go to jail for 25 years.

The enterprising landlord faces a total of 20 charges, including forgery of documents, creation of fraudulent schemes and the use of illegal methods of “squeezing” tenants out of the houses he purchased.

49-year-old Kroman, through his structures, owns more than 140 residential buildings in the Manhattan area, where real estate is actively leased.

An investigation was launched in 2014, after tenants joined a coalition "Stop Croman" to fight a homeowner who, according to them, by hook or by crook, survived tenants and tried to change them as often as possible in order to get rid of the restrictions imposed in the city.

In New York, there is a law protecting residents of rented apartments from excessive overpricing of rent. Among other things, the right of the property owner to increase the rent is limited, but in case of a change of tenants it is allowed to increase the price by 20%.

Croman, as reported, either bought the remaining tenure in the apartment by tenants, and for small compensation, or by pressure, forced them to move out of the apartments.

Among other things, the New York City Prosecutor’s Office is demanding Croman’s ban on real estate work and paying them millions of dollars in fines and compensation to injured tenants.

The mortgage broker entrepreneur Barry Swart has been charged a total of 15 charges. Reportedly, he helped Krohman get loans in the amount of $ 45 million.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who set as one of his priorities the creation of an affordable housing program for citizens, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman last year began an active struggle against landlords who violate the rights of their tenants.

Stephen Kroman, who for 25 has become a prominent player in the real estate market in New York over the years, is one of the biggest landlords in the city who has been so seriously accused in recent years.