The Pinnacle Group, a controversial landlord who owns a slew of apartment buildings in the west Bronx, was hit yesterday with a federal racketeering lawsuit, according to the New York Post. The lawsuit, says the Post, charges that the company is "waging 'an attack' on affordable housing with thousands of illegal evictions aimed at jacking up rents beyond what the law allows."
The New York Times also has the story. The newspaper says the charges are unusual because "Racketeering allegations are more commonly used by the federal government to prosecute organized crime figures and drug traffickers."
This isn't the first time Pinnacle has been in the news for allegedly harassing tenants. In 2005/06 the Norwood News wrote a series of articles about the company and owner Joel Wiener. If you missed them, here are some links:
Company Gobbles Up Bronx Buildings
Investor's Tactics Worry Tenants
Full Court Press: Pinnacle Sues Hundreds of Bronx Tenants
Manhattan Tenants Also Report Problems With Pinnacle
Controversial Landlord Fined for Illegal Rent Hikes
Dinowitz Says Pinnacle Harasses His Constituents
For revealing and documenting Pinnacle's practices, the Norwood News and reporter Heather Haddon won an investigative reporting prize at the New York Press Association's annual convention in April.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Pinnacle in trouble again
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