LANDLORD THREATS AND INTIMIDATION

[LP]

Hi:

My landlord has been bullying and intimidating me and my daughter and granddaughter for 4 months, since we moved into his house. Although it is a 2 family dwelling, he runs it like a boarding house and rules with an iron hand. He has bullied and stalked us.

I have no money to move at this time, but am coming into some money soon.

The judge deemed the apartment illegal and he is not allowed to collect any more rent. The final verdict said 2 months free rent, and then I go, August 31.

This is the recording and the voice transcript of the landlord and his thug friends. He must have told them I am not going to pay rent.

He showed me 4 rooms and then truncated the apartment into 2 rooms, just giving me the living room and dining alcove. He kept the big bedroom and another smaller bedroom locked, rented the rooms out to others or used them himself. This AFTER I had been shown all the rooms and paid the rent.

But the landlord does not seem to care. He has frightened and intimidated us on numerous occasions. He is already advertising the apartment, even though the judge has given us time to move. I still don't have enough money to move and we have no place to go until the funding comes through.

Right now i am supporting my 26 year old daughter, who is ill, and my 8 year old granddaughter who live with me in this uncomfortable situation. I am 63.

Voice transcript Audio File available.

2 family house in Brooklyn, owner occupied. Illegally divided apartment.

On June 17th, 2009 at 10:15, PM . Landlord brought two men into the bedroom of Apartment 2 and had the following conversation. It was recorded by me on my cell phone.

Beginning: Unintelligible voices from front bedroom, part of the aartment LL had illegally divided after taking my money.


Voice 1: You should have all these rooms rented out. You're losing money, you should rent these rooms now.

LL: unintelligible…. something about court decision,

Voice 1: You don't go to the court….You should have all these rooms rented out. You're losing money…Paint them up and rent them out You got . 300 …350. a month.

LL $350?

Voice 1: $500! Whatever, whatever! You're losing money

LL unintelligible....

Voice 1: You are losing money. Is it nice in there…

LL … Mother, daughter and the little girl sleep in there


Voice 2: Unintelligible

Voice 1: If she was in my house I'd throw her out…throw her the f--k out! I would! I'd send two guys down from 18th Avenue , knock on her f---cking door, tell her you're out of here by the end of the month or you got a f--cking problem and that’s it! End of f--king story. Go by …house and not pay rent. They send guys with baseball f--king bats.

LL: Little room, front room and bath.: …unintelligible….My grandmother used to live on this floor.

Voice 1: One guy in my cousins building was not paying rent. My cousin sent two guys down from the club. They knocked on his door. And they told the guy "If you're not out by the end of the month somebody is going to throw acid in you fu--king face and blind you. The guy was out three days later. They don't f--k around. You don’t f--k around with people's money.

LL: mumbling

Voice 1: Doesn't matter where it is. I'm telling ya, I got two guys down here…from (Famous Gangster now in Jail) .They got two…bootleg operations over here. You don't f--k with somebody's rent. The Italians from Dyker (?) Street, they had a lady staying in this apartment. Get the f--k out, or somebody's going to stick you with an AIDS infected needle…AIDS! Just pop you with the f--king needle. You don't f--k with peoples f--kin' money. I don't give a f--k who the f--k it is.

LL: Unintelligible something about court.

Voice 1: We don't go to f--king court. There ain't no f--king court. We don't deal with the court system. You just knock on the f--king door and you gotta go. Out! or……And that's how they do it. You wanna play f--king games, go to Coney island . And that's it, end of story. Ain't none of this f--king court s--t. Get the f--k outta here. End of story.

Voice 2: End of story

LL: End of story.

Voice 1: End of story…

They exit the room and go into the hallway. Sound of door closing.

Voice 1:…throw her down the f--king stairs or throw her off the fucking roof(?) End of story.

Voice 2: End of story.

Voice1: F--k that s--t she ain't got the money. Ain't got the f--ing money. Out of the house!



Unintelligible…footsteps going down stairs.

So my question is what do I do? IWhat can I do? I have a log f past harassment, by cell hone and in person plus 2 police reports...but with these "friends" talking like this...I don't know. My grandchild and daughter are frightened.

[concord]

(A)
The landlord can advertise the apartment that is soon to be vacant.

(B)
Your audio recording doesn’t appear to be strong enough evidence to convict anybody. You can’t prove that it was the landlord on the tape.

(C)
You should contact the FBI and tell them what is going on. Forget the local police precinct. The landlord’s buddies probably have the precinct in their pocket.

(D)
This is a true story about how a woman in my neighborhood in Brooklyn handled the same situation. She was rent-controlled and has a very low rental. The landlord wanted her out. He had two of his buddies climb onto the fire escape and scare the woman.

The woman decided to deal with the problem. Her son worked for the FBI. He arranged (with her consent) to have cameras placed inside her apartment. The thugs were caught on tape intimidating her. They were brought to court on harassment charges. They ratted out the landlord in order to reduce their sentences. I believe that the thugs just got parole. The landlord went to prison for two years. The woman stayed in that apartment for a very long time thereafter knowing that nobody would harass her again.

Sure, it helps that her son worked for the FBI. But a 63-year-old woman being threatened by thugs (and the existence of an audio recording) should be enough for FBI to show interest. At the least, FBI can intimidate your landlord into being nice or face possible prison.

(E)
The threats of “needle with AIDS” and “acid in face” appear to be scare tactics with high graphical value. No mobster in his right mind would bother carrying a needle containing the HIV virus (assuming he could even find one). It’s easier to carry a knife or a gun. I hate to say it but it sounds to me as if the whole thing was a set-up. They made sure that you were home and they made sure that you heard the conversation. They are hoping that you will flee out of fear alone.

If it is an authentic conversation then, the landlord wants no trouble since you shall be out pretty soon anyway. It sounds like the thugs don’t have enough pull to force him to approve a violent act or threat.

Understandably, this isn’t just a poker game where you might consider calling your opponent’s bluff. So, contact the FBI. I think that they can convince your landlord to back off.

[LP]

Thank you. You are probably right. The part about the aids and acid is a bit far fetched, but baseball bats...well I actually saw that happen to someone on the street. He looked like a drug dealer.

Is there nothing I can do in court? All I want is peace until i can get out! If circumstances change I can get out quicker.

[concord]

If you are going to be out of there in two months anyway then forget about court. Nothing gets resolved in the court system that quickly. I think your audio tape will score you points with FBI. When your landlord sees people with badges and suits at his door asking questions he will know that he isn’t dealing with the local boys with badges and uniforms. I really think that he will (or will be very motivated to tell his buddies to) back off.

I think that this would be your fastest way to gain some traction. However, none of us here are qualified to give you such advice in respect to a violent threat and, for that matter, nobody here is officially qualified to give you any advice whatsoever. Take it all with a grain of salt.

[lofter1]

Would you consider taking the cell phone / audio tape rcording to your local NYPD Precinct house and discussing this (and the prior court action) with the Community Affairs offer there?

[LP]

As I mentioned, the apartment was illegally divided. The bedroom has been locked to me and the landlord goes in there and blasts music all night long. I finally got so tired of it that I pushed the door open and turned off the TV. He then called the police and tried to have me arrested for "breaking and entering".

I was able to prove to the police that The Petition said "All Rooms" of Apartment 2.

The landlord also lied and said that I was wielding a knife. then he admitted to the police that he was lying and only said that to get their attention. The police were angry with him. He loudly insisted that I be arrested and filed a harassment complaint and an order of protection against ME!

The verdict said : Based upon the evidence sustained at trial, a final judgment of possession is awarded to Petitioner. A Warrant of Eviction shall issue forthwith but shall be stayed through August, 31 2009.

The evidence further showed that Petitioner's Agent rented Respondents rooms as opposed to the full apartment on the second floor. It is further established that half the period in question another person occupied a room in the subject apartment with Respondents due to the agent. As such , no rent or use of occupancy will be awarded.

My question is: Can I get into trouble for entering the room in my apartment that has been locked to me? Does he now have a right to be in there? He does not live there, he just goes n the room to renovate and make noise. The police did not seem to think so, but the landlord is trying to get papers to prove that I broke and entered, and that he is entitled to the room.

I did show the police the transcript of the thugs. They could do nothing.
He is also sending harassing and defaming emails to my church, friends and ex-husband, all of whom have nothing to do with this situation.

Thanks so much for your help. i am so distraught over all this and am trying to save up to move ASAP.