NYC's 'worst landlord' indicted for harassing renters, forcing them out with 'horrific living conditions': DA

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — New York City’s so-called “worst landlord” was indicted on Thursday for allegedly harassing his rent-regulated tenants by deliberately leaving their apartments in "horrific living conditions" in an attempt to force them to vacate, prosecutors said.

Daniel Ohebshalon, also known as Dan Shalom, and his companies were charged with multiple counts of harassment of a rent-regulated tenant, offering a false instrument for filing, and endangering the welfare of a child, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber announced.

According to court documents, Shalom owns five Manhattan properties, which he allegedly neglected with the goal of driving out the rent-regulated tenants from their homes so that he could sell the buildings for more profit.

Each of the five buildings—331 East 14th St., 410 West 46th St., 412 West 46th St., 705 West 170th St., and 709 West 170th St.—had false documents filed, unaddressed violations and dangerous conditions. These included lack of heat and hot water during winter, unrepaired leaks resulting in ceiling collapses—one incident injured a young child—and building front doors lacking locks and other security measures.

Shalom was declared the "worst landlord" by NYC Public Advocate Jumanee Williams in March.

Shalom was allegedly “warehousing unsecured vacant apartments” and didn’t set up necessary heat for his buildings, despite repeated warnings from the fuel delivery.

Shalom also allegedly neglected his buildings, lied about their ownership to force out rent-regulated tenants, and discussed strategies to "engineer vacancies" in rent-regulated apartments to increase their sale price, according to prosecutors.

Shalom later hired a real estate firm to sell the properties at 410 and 412 West 46th St. In 2015, there was a fire which left 412 West 46th St. uninhabited; both buildings were put on the market together for $11.7 million.

Shalom's buildings were flagged by city agencies several times for unsafe conditions. Shalom allegedly hid his ownership and avoided signing required paperwork with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Instead, he allegedly had two young employees falsely sign as the responsible person and was able to avoid HPD's enforcement. Tenants trying to resolve the issues were misled by these documents and wrongly targeted individuals unconnected to the buildings.

“As alleged, Daniel Ohebshalom took advantage of rent-regulated tenants living in five Manhattan apartment buildings by creating dangerous living conditions in an effort to push them out, " Bragg said. “New Yorkers deserve to live in their apartments without fearing for their safety.”

Shalom’s businesses, Keystone Management, Inc.; Liberty Ventures, LLC; Highpoint Associates XII, LLC; and Belmont Ventures, LLC. also face similar charges.

When Bragg set up the Housing and Tenant Protection Unit in October 2022, the goal was to stop tenant harassment and misuse of government programs. Shalom is the first landlord facing prosecution under this new law.