Apartment owner pleads not guilty in case involving unlivable Shreveport apartment conditions

By Brittany Breeding

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — One of the landlords who owns multiple properties where residents are being forced to move out was arraigned Tuesday.

Yacov Smouha and his company – Amar Shreveport Holdings – are facing dozens of misdemeanor charges. They stem from issues at Villa Norte, The Pines, Linwood Homes, and Forest Oaks Apartments. Right now, Villa Norte and The Pines residents are just days away from water being shut off due to the company not paying the water bill to the city.

“He has a contract with the constituents that are here. You said that you were going to provide water. You said that you were going to provide proper living conditions, and you have not done so. And so for me, I would always say, I wish the judge would allow you to go live in the premises how you want our constituency to live,” said Shreveport City Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor.

Most of the charges pertain to requirements for residential buildings, including issues with doors, electrical units, stairs, structural supports, plumbing, and more.

“And I intend for him to face the charges that have been brought against him for the injustices that he’s placed upon all of the residents of the city of Shreveport,” said Taylor.

Smouha or representatives for Amar Shreveport Holdings were not in court Tuesday. The company’s address is listed as a building on Madison Avenue in New York. KTBS 3 News checked and they moved out two weeks ago. The company’s new address is not known.

“You’re not here. You’re not a resident of Shreveport, Louisiana, so you don’t have an attachment to the residents that live here,” said Taylor.

Taylor said she’s not surprised Smouha didn’t show.

“You’re somewhere probably with a solid roof over your head, with clean running water; you don’t have raw sewage, you don’t have rats, you don’t have rodents. And I would expect at this particular point in time, you’re not looking for somewhere to live,” said Taylor.

His attorney Dhu Thompson entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. The judge has decided no other hearings will be held on this case, instead it will go straight to trial.

“We’re going to dive into the discovery. We’re going to prepare for the Aug. 2 court date. And I’ll have more to say after the case concludes,” said Thompson.

“Let there be a strong message that is sent to landlords, regardless if you are in the city of Shreveport or you are abroad, this is not going to be tolerated here,” said Taylor.

A trial date has been set for Aug. 2 at 9 a.m.

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