One of New York City’s most notorious landlords may be heading to jail after a Manhattan judge ordered his arrest Friday for allegedly failing to make hundreds of court-ordered repairs at a pair of Washington Heights properties.
Daniel Ohebshalom, No. 1 on the public advocate’s most recent annual “worst landlords” list, was ordered to be held at Rikers Island for up to two months after he repeatedly blew off mandatory repairs at two buildings on West 170th Street for more than a year, according to Judge Jack Stoller.
Landlords rarely face jail time for presiding over substandard living conditions, but Stoller said Ohebshalom crossed a line by defying the court for a “striking” amount of time and skipping dozens of scheduled appointments to correct nearly 700 violations across the two buildings’ common areas and 42 apartments.
Stoller ordered the New York City Sheriff’s Office to work with authorities in California — where Ohebshalom is believed to live — to arrest him and haul him to Manhattan for a 60-day jail stay.
“The ongoing conditions that the tenants of the subject premises have had to endure, have remained uncorrected since November of 2022, at least sixteen months before this writing, and often longer,” Stoller said in his order.
The judge said Ohebshalom could be released if he makes the necessary repairs.
Ohebshalom’s attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The sheriff’s office did not respond to several emails and phone calls.
Stoller issued the arrest warrant after tenants and the city‘s Department of Housing Preservation and Development sued Ohebshalom to remove lead paint from apartment walls, fix crumbled ceilings and get rid of mice and roaches throughout the two buildings at 705 and 709 West 170th St.
“The building is still in shambles,” said Ashley Viruet, an attorney with the nonprofit Legal Services NYC who is representing the tenants. “Just dilapidated issues that have never been repaired in…
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