BOSTON (WHDH) - Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is seeking civil penalties and restitution against a Lynn landord who allegedly threatened to call the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on his tenants to stop them from reporting dangerous and unsanitary living conditions in their apartments.
She Ling Wang violated the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act and the state’s fair housing and consumer protection laws when he harassed, intimidated, and verbally and physically threatened Hispanic tenants and their families in an effort to prevent them from reporting vermin infestations, damaged walls and ceilings, severe leaks, broken windows, non-functioning smoke detectors, and inoperable appliances, according to Healey’s lawsuit.
The complaint also alleges that Wang would frequently enter apartments in a three-unit building on Lloyd Street that he owns without notice or permission. When the tenants complained about the intrusiveness, Wang allegedly would call them demeaning names and tell them it was his house and he could do what he wanted.
In July 2020, two tenants withheld rent after a continuous leak in their ceiling ruined their mattress and caused property damage, according to Healey’s office. Wang then allegedly physically threatened a female tenant and later threatened to call ICE and have their family deported. Several days later, Wang is said to have illegally served the tenants with a notice to quit, giving them 14 days to move out, in violation of the state’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium.
The tenants then reported the poor conditions in their apartment to Lynn’s Inspectional Services Department, which then inspected the property and issued a notice of violation to Wang, Healey’s office added.
Not long after Wang’s alleged threat, ICE agents arrived at the apartment building and arrested one of the tenants. The tenant was ultimately released from ICE custody.
Wang’s intimidation and direct threats allegedly continued, including text messages that included photos of news articles about the arrest with the tenant’s name underlined and a follow-up text that read “The game is over, please respect The Law And talk to your lawyer,” the lawsuit indicated.
Wang also allegedly became physically and verbally aggressive with a tenant who complained about a cockroach and mouse infestation in her apartment, telling her to leave if she didn’t like it.
Late last year, Wang went to another tenant’s apartment to fix a non-functioning smoke detector and threw part of the smoke detector at the tenant while her young daughter was standing nearby, according to Healey’s office.
Wang is said to have a history of threatening and harassing his tenants, including a woman who he allegedly grabbed by the collar and shook for asking for repairs.
Healey’s office has since asked the court to require Wang to no longer communicate with any of the tenants described in the motion, and their families, and maintain a reasonable physical distance from them, their places of employment, and their residences unless he is making necessary repairs to their apartments.
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