Kushner Cos., an American real estate firm in New York that was previously headed by the Senior Advisor to the US President, Jared Kushner is under investigation for forging at least 80 building permits involving 34 buildings in New York until early 2017.
According to a New York politician and a group of local tenants’ statement on Monday, they have evidence of forgery against Kushner’s family-owned real estate company.
New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres said he is probing an investigation into Kushner Cos. and stated that there are possibilities that it ‘may have averted accountability, harassed tenants, and sought to use construction as a method of harassment’.
Housing Rights Initiative (HRI), a non-profit organisation that works to protect tenants from fraudulent real estate owners, is investigating the issue and found the company was issuing fake building permits. Aaron Carr, the executive director of HRI has accused the company of using construction to bother tenants with rent controls and compelling them to leave.
“This is not a clerical error. This is a window into the Kushner Companies’ business practices,” Carr said. “This is just the tip of a very dirty iceberg.”
A spokeswoman for Kushner’s company Christine Taylor refuted the allegations and stated: “The investigation is trying to create an issue where none exists.”