Judge issues warrant for Bronx landlord

A Housing Court judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of an alleged Bronx slumlord who failed not only to correct the 663 open violations in one of his buildings, but also to show up in court, the New York Times reported. The landlord, Sam Suzuki, said he is just the manager of the 49-unit apartment building in question, at 1585 East 172nd Street, though property records suggest otherwise. It’s one of six buildings he picked up for $13.5 million in May 2009 from Ocelot Capital Group, the real estate investment group that notoriously abandoned 25 Bronx buildings, allowing them to fall into disrepair. At the time, Suzuki had already been managing 22 of those buildings through his company, Hunter Property Management. Tenants said conditions at the building only got worse after Suzuki took ownership. Conditions at his other five properties have also reportedly deteriorated. [NYT]