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February 25, 2006
Dinowitz Says Pinnacle Harasses His Constituents
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is speaking out against the controversial practices of the Pinnacle Group after he discovered the management company aggressively went after two vulnerable tenants in his district.
"The stories are just horrible," said Dinowitz about the incidents, which involve Riverdale and Norwood residents and properties. "They're trying to enrich themselves off of the misery of other people."
In the first case, Pinnacle served a 90-year-old man with court papers for back rent due on his Henry Hudson Parkway apartment, according to Terry Colon, a staffer working on the cases. Colon found that the man had actually overpaid Pinnacle by more than $1,000. The company failed to acknowledge that they received funds from the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program, which subsidizes the rents of low-income seniors living in regulated apartments.
"He was double dipping," said Dinowitz, referring to Joel Wiener, who heads Pinnacle.
Colon is also trying to assist a tenant at 215 E. Gun Hill Road who was hit by a quick succession of rent increases last year. The hikes were retroactive charges allowed under the stabilization program, but they aren't usually done all at once, according to Colon. The resident has accrued $4,000 in rent arrears. She is also disabled.
Posted by Michelle at February 25, 2006 02:44 AM