"Meyer Chetrit Indicted on Felony Charges for Harassing Rent-Regulated Tenants in Chelsea"
"Manhattan developer and part of influential Chetrit family indicted for harassing older, rent-regulated tenants in Chelsea over five years."
Manhattan real estate's notorious Chetrit family is once again making headlines, but this time it's for all the wrong reasons. Meyer Chetrit, a prominent developer and member of the Chetrit family, has recently been indicted on criminal charges by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The charges stem from a five-year-long campaign of harassment against two septuagenarian, rent-regulated tenants in Chelsea. According to Bragg and Jocelyn Strauber, commissioner of the city's Department of Investigation, Chetrit used various tactics to try and force the tenants out of their apartments, ultimately hoping to sell the building for a profit.
"From winters without heat to unrepaired roofs causing leaks and ceiling collapses, these New Yorkers were forced to live in uninhabitable conditions," said Bragg in a statement. This isn't the first time the Chetrit family has been accused of unethical and illegal practices in the real estate industry. In 2018, the family settled a lawsuit for $3 million after being accused of illegally harassing tenants in various buildings throughout the city.
While Chetrit's legal team has denied the allegations and plans to fight the charges, this indictment shines a light on the ongoing issue of tenant harassment in New York City's cutthroat real estate market. With the city's housing crisis only worsening, it's crucial for authorities to hold powerful developers and landlords accountable for their actions.
Originally reported by