The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) today announced that the owners and manager of three District apartment complexes—Petra Management Group, LLC, Rashid Salem, 4825-4829 North Capital St L.L.C., 5616 13th St NW L.L.C., and 743 Fairmont St NW LLC, (collectively, “Petra”)—will pay $700,000 and reform their practices to resolve the Office of the Attorney General’s lawsuit alleging that Petra had illegally discriminated against lower income DC residents in order to boost profits, effectively limiting affordable housing options in DC.
"Too many DC residents are already struggling to find an affordable place to live, and the Office of the Attorney General will not tolerate source of income-based housing discrimination that further limits affordable housing options," said Beth Mellen, Assistant Deputy Attorney General and Senior Counsel for Housing Protection and Affordability. "Petra illegally exploited the District’s housing voucher program for profit—taking advantage of DC taxpayers as well as tenants without vouchers in need of affordable housing, including seniors and people with disabilities on fixed incomes. Today’s settlement both holds Petra accountable and ensures that more Washingtonians can access affordable housing.”