Local News in Brief : FBI Asked to Find Slumlord
A judge on Friday issued a $2-million arrest warrant for the city’s reputed worst slumlord, and prosecutors said they have asked the FBI to join in the search for Vijaynard Sharma.
It was the third such warrant to be issued since the 40-year-old immigrant from the Fiji Islands became a fugitive by failing to appear for sentencing last week. The combined bail for the three warrants is $2.9 million.
Los Angeles Municipal Judge David Doi issued the latest warrant when Sharma failed to appear in court to pay $153,000 in fines stemming from his November conviction on 112 misdemeanor violations of various city codes at three apartment buildings and two residential hotels.
“It’s clear the defendant is running and hiding,” Doi said of Sharma, labeled “the worst slumlord in the city” by City Atty. James Hahn.
Deputy City Atty. Abraham Khan said he has asked the FBI to join in the search for Sharma on grounds that he may have crossed state lines to avoid prosecution.
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