Attorney General Schwalb Sues Owner of Delta Pearl

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb sued the owner and manager of Delta Pearl, a large affordable apartment building at 1400 Florida Ave NE, for extreme neglect endangering tenant health and safety. The lawsuit targets Buwa Binitie and his companies, Delta 2 Owner LLC and DP Management LLC, which operates as Faria Management. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General found severe and pervasive housing code violations at the property.

Schwalb stated the conditions at Delta Pearl are shocking and ownership has refused to promptly address them. He said the extreme disrepair poses unacceptable health risks and the suit aims to force immediate critical safety repairs.

Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker noted he helped cut the ribbon on the building just two years ago when it opened as a beautifully renovated space funded with tens of millions in tax credits and public financing. He said the rapid decline defies reason and praised the Attorney General’s leadership in holding Binitie and Faria Management accountable.

Department of Buildings Director Brian Hanlon said the agency has worked closely with tenants and community partners to document nearly 200 unabated violations, which are extremely concerning. He affirmed that property owners hold ultimate responsibility for maintaining safe, secure, and code-compliant buildings and supported the OAG’s request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction if safety risks persist.

Delta Pearl is a 10-story, 166-unit apartment building in Ward 5. Fifty-one percent of its units are designated as affordable housing for individuals earning below 80 percent of the area’s median income. Originally built as affordable senior housing in 1979, it was sold to Binitie in 2022 and redeveloped. The building is currently owned by Delta 2 Owner LLC and managed by DP Management LLC, doing business as Faria Management, both owned by Buwa Binitie, founder and CEO of Dumas Collective.

OAG and DOB inspections have documented extremely dangerous and widespread housing code violations throughout Delta Pearl for over a year. Tenants currently live with no air conditioning, as the entire system stopped working on July 1, 2026, with no repair attempts made. Both elevators in the ten-story building have been completely out of service since July 2026, following frequent outages since at least December 2025, forcing tenants to carry children and handle stairs with health conditions in the heat.

Stairwells are unsanitary and dangerous due to garbage, human waste, and debris, with DOB inspectors observing feces, urine, trash, and debris throughout. The exterior gate has been broken since at least August 2025, and the key fob access system failed in February 2026, with no repairs made, allowing non-tenants to sleep in common areas and occupy vacant apartments despite tenant safety concerns.

Trash buildup has caused rodent and insect infestations, with one tenant reporting the trash chute full to the seventh floor due to lack of pickup. Additional violations include water damage from ongoing leaks, extensive rodent infestations in common areas, exposed electrical wiring, inoperable fire safety facilities, and unrepaired fire damage from a February 2026 fire.

Through the lawsuit, OAG seeks a Temporary Restraining Order for urgent issues, a Preliminary Injunction to ensure all necessary repairs, restitution for harmed tenants, and civil penalties. The matter is handled by assistant attorneys general Camila Ramirez, Meredith George, and Emily Richard, paralegals Althea Harris and Conny Tello, and investigators Cullen Hamilton and Willie Haynes, supervised by Assistant Chief Michael Maurer and Chief Joanna Wasik of the Housing and Environmental Justice Section.

OAG exercises enforcement authority under the Tenant Receivership Act, Construction Codes, and Consumer Protection Procedures Act to protect tenants and force landlords to fix health and safety issues. The agency provides resources for tenants to report landlord problems and housing conditions via its Consumer and Tenant Response team at 202-442-9828, consumer.protection@dc.gov, or oag.dc.gov/complaint.