DA: Brooklyn Landlord Tried to Burn Down Building With Squatters Inside
Today in the cutthroat world of New York City real estate: a psychotic landlord who allegedly plotted to burn his Bed Stuy home to the ground while two squatters were living inside. While planning the razing, Lalbahadour Byjoo allegedly told an undercover cop he "liked his steak well done."
Byjoo and Jean St. Fleur, a conspirator, hoped to use the blaze to get rid of the illegal occupants, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. From DNAinfo:
Two illegal tenants were living at his 304-A Sumpter Street building at the time, according to officials.
Byjoo met with an undercover detective on Jan. 25 and explained how he could enter the residence to avoid surveillance cameras, according to court papers.
He then gave him $100 for gasoline, adding that he "liked his steak well done." Days later, he met the agent again, telling him to "torch" the building, prosecutors said.
The two men are also accused of using fake documents to steal properties in Bed Stuy and Brownsville. "We simply cannot tolerate such alleged criminal conduct here in Brooklyn and will now hold them accountable," Thompson said in a statement.
For more on squatting in Bed Stuy, this Gothamist mini-documentary on a separate group of unlawful tenants is very sweet.
