Investigate Landlord Of Evacuated Bowery Building, DA Urged

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — A coalition of local politicians is calling on prosecutors to review the business of Joseph Betesh, the landlord of a building at 85 Bowery that had to be vacated last month because its structure was so unsafe.

Led by state assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, multiple elected officials released a letter on Friday calling on the Manhattan district attorney and the state attorney general to review Betesh's business and property management. Niou and other officials, including city council member Margaret Chin, are asking prosecutors to determine whether a former investigation into Betesh's business is necessary.

"We write to request that you review the actions of 8385 Bowery LLC, owned by Mr. Joseph Betesh, since his acquisition of the 83-85 Bowery properties in 2013, and determine whether a formal investigation is warranted," the officials wrote in the letter.

"Since obtaining ownership of the building, Mr. Betesh has been accused of trying to drive residents out of their homes through willful neglect and by refusing to renew their leases."

The politicians' request comes after nearly a month of fraught debate over the future of 85 Bowery, which was vacated on Jan. 18 after building inspectors found that the Chinatown structure's main staircase was so unstable that it had to be completely replaced.

Since then, nearly 95 tenants have been left homeless, staying in hotels or with family and friends while the extensive repairs are completed. All told, the residents will be away from their homes for at least three months before the staircase is completely reconstructed, according to city estimates. The vacate order comes after years of back-and-forth between the tenants and their landlord.

The tenants, many of whom celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and will be out of their homes for the Feb. 16 holiday, were temporarily housed in hotels in Brooklyn before Betesh paid for about 18 rooms at a nearby Chinatown hotel.

"We are focused on repairing and replacing the severely damaged infrastructure of 85 Bowery so families can move back safely into their homes," a spokesman for Betesh said in a statement. "We will remain focused on providing a safe building for those families regardless of any false perceptions that others may have about us or our company."

Neither prosecutor's office immediately responded to a request for comment from Patch, but a spokeswoman from Niou's office said that the Manhattan district attorney's office was reviewing the situation.

Last week, eight of the tenants launched a hunger strike in protest of the situation at 85 Bowery, demanding that city officials give them an exact deadline for when they'll be able to return home. The tenants called a temporary end to the hunger strike on Monday to allow the strikers to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with their families.

Image credit: Ciara McCarthy / Patch