Slumlord Not Given Longer Jail Term for Paying Tenants Late

A San Pedro slumlord who was late in paying $16,000 to help his tenants relocate will not have to spend extra time in jail for his tardiness, a San Pedro Municipal Court judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge Roy Ferkich declined a prosecutor’s request that he lengthen the sentence of landlord Martin Canter, who health inspectors said operated a rat- and cockroach-infested apartment with a leaky roof and faulty wiring.

The judge told Canter in March that he would have to serve only 45 days of a six-month sentence if he sold his building and paid his tenants relocation assistance.

Canter promised four tenants $4,000 each if they agreed to move out in March, but it was not until a sentencing hearing June 27 that the landlord’s lawyer turned over a check. When the check bounced, Judge Ferkich said he would consider ordering a longer jail sentence for Canter.

Second Check Was OK

A second check, delivered Monday, was covered by sufficient funds, tenants’ lawyer David Salisbury of the Legal Aid Foundation of Long Beach told Ferkich on Wednesday.

“Late in this case is better than never. . . . But he did not obey your order when he should have,” said Deputy City Atty. Juana V. Webman, in asking Ferkich to double Canter’s 45-day sentence.

Canter’s lawyer, Michael Stephenson, said the late payment was a technical problem caused by Canter’s belief that a temporary hold would be placed on the check before it was cashed.

Stephenson argued against Canter serving additional jail time, saying: “There hasn’t been an intentional violation of probation.”

Ferkich agreed, saying he would not order additional jail time because there was no proof that the late payment was intentional. “He is substantially in compliance with the conditions of probation,” Ferkich said.

Canter has been ordered to surrender Oct. 2 to begin serving his 45-day sentence.