Slumlord’s Jail Term Begins

Los Angeles slumlord Neil Bleuler on Monday began serving three concurrent 30-day terms in County Jail for maintaining slum conditions at two apartment buildings and failing to comply with a court order.

Bleuler, 41, received two of the one-month sentences after pleading no contest to nine violations of health, fire and building and safety codes at 1518 S. Wilton Place and for health code violations at 2000 S. Arlington Ave.

The third 30-day term was imposed after he violated a January court order that he no longer own property as a corporate shareholder, thus disguising his true ownership. Bleuler had been convicted in June, 1987, of 85 violations of various health and safety codes in four buildings, and as part of his probation was ordered to either repair or sell those properties. Bleuler was also sentenced to yet another 30-day jail term on this case, but he has appealed.

Instead of making repairs, Bleuler claimed to have sold the properties at 823 S. Bonnie Brae St., 426 S. Union Ave., 807 Fedora St. and 2616 Idell St.

But City Atty. James K. Hahn charged that he was still the true owner and called the transfers “sham ownerships designed to avoid criminal prosecution.”

The four buildings had a host of violations, including rats and cockroach infestations, broken windows, leaky roofs, missing and defective guardrails, defective fire escapes and fire doors.

Instead of being sold or repaired by Bleuler, all went into foreclosure and were sold by the lender.

Municipal Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis in January found that Bleuler had violated the probation that was part of his sentencing. She extended the probation by six months to January, 1991, and, along with an order that he not own property as a corporate shareholder, said he was not to have any of his reported 28 properties in Los Angeles in any name but his own.

At subsequent compliance hearings, Duffy-Lewis found that Bleuler had not complied and on March 4 imposed her sentence.