Owner of gang-run Colorado apartment complex avoids charges over poor health and safety conditions

Zev Baumgarten, the owner of real estate firm Nome Partners, faced dozens of charges for failing to maintain the Aspen Grove Apartment Complex, the Denver State Gazette.

Tenants of the 99-unit building suffered from rodent infestations, sewer blockages, water leaks and a lack of electricity.

Baumgarten alleged that the real estate company could not meet the needs of tenants because the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over.

Initially, city officials denied Nome Partners’ claims of gang activity, but have since changed their position. Denver State Gazette had requested records of email correspondence between the city and the landlord’s attorney raising concerns about gang activity in the complex, but they were heavily redacted. City officials said they could not share the details because they were allegedly protecting the “work product” of the property manager’s attorney.

Baumgarten has asked Aurora police several times for additional patrols on the property, but the requests have been denied.

“He was told we did not have enough staff to provide adequate security at all of his properties,” Joe Moylan, a spokesman for the Aurora Police Department, told the Denver State Gazette.

In June, the property owner sent letters to police and local authorities warning them that the gang had taken control of the property. However, authorities said the health and safety situation had deteriorated since 2021.

According to federal officials, the Venezuelan prison gang is active in the Denver area, where it has held nearly 43,000 immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in the past 22 months.

The gang is known for human trafficking and drug trafficking.

Nome Partners acquired the property in 2019 for $12,375,000. Nearly 300 tenants were served with eviction notices on August 13. The property is now boarded up and will cost about $60,000 to secure and clean.

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However, Nome Partners has been given the option in the agreement with the city to re-lease the building as long as it complies with city code.

Nome Partners also got into trouble for lax health and safety standards at another property it claims was taken over by gangs. Those properties are managed by CBZ Management, which is responsible for 11 properties in Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colorado.