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Sex-for-rent allegations bring civil suit BY RICK RUGGLES |
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| WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER | |
An Omaha landlord has been accused by the U.S. Justice Department of seeking sex in lieu of rent.
The Justice Department has filed a civil complaint alleging that John R. Koch of 5304 N. 78th St. also made sexually suggestive comments to tenants, touched them on their breasts and buttocks, entered their residences without consent and stole items in retaliation for rejection.
The fair-housing complaint said Koch explicitly based privileges and terms of living in his properties on sexual favors. He evicted or threatened to evict female tenants who refused or objected to sexual advances, the complaint alleged. He also threatened to deny repairs if they didn't submit, it said.
Koch, who is in his mid-50s and owns numerous properties, couldn't be reached for comment. A man answering his cell phone Thursday afternoon said, "He's not here right now."
The Justice Department requested a jury trial in U.S. District Court in Omaha.
Through a press release, the Fair Housing Center of Nebraska said it conducted initial investigations. The center, a program of Family Housing Advisory Services Inc., said 13 women have made formal complaints against Koch.
He has been fined and put on probation in the past for not fixing housing-code violations. Kevin Denker, the city's chief housing inspector, said Koch currently has nine properties with housing-code violations.
In those cases, he has 60 days to make repairs before potentially receiving a misdemeanor citation, which can include a fine and jail time, Denker said.
Jill Fenner, assistant director of the Fair Housing Center, said the case started with a complaint filed with her agency two years ago.
The Justice Department eventually stepped in and investigated numerous allegations against Koch, some going back to 1996.
Among other things, the Justice Department asks the federal court to order Koch:
• To pay monetary damages to each alleged victim.
• To pay a civil penalty.
• To restore the victims to the position they would be in if not for his alleged discriminatory conduct.
As of two years ago, Fenner said, Koch owned or managed at least 50 properties, most in northeast Omaha.
Fenner said her agency has investigated other landlords, but she said this case involves by far the most tenants and is the first in which the Justice Department has participated.
"People tend not to want to come forward on this," she said of such cases. "They just want to get away from it."
Those who allegedly were preyed upon tended to be low-income residents who were more vulnerable than tenants in stronger financial positions, Fenner said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Omaha referred questions to the
Justice Department in Washington. The Justice Department declined to comment.
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