A San Francisco couple has been named the "landlords from hell," due to their highly illegal and dangerous efforts to push tenants from an apartment building in the South of Market neighborhood of the Bay Area city.
Nicole and Kip Macy cut holes in one of the buildings inhabitant's floor with a power saw while he was still inside, threatened to gun down tenants, changed locks unbeknownst to the dwellers inside and removed belongings from bedrooms, according to prosecutors in court on Wednesday.
The two have pled guilty to a number of felonies including residential burglary, stalking and attempted grand theft.
They said that that every one of their shocking actions were performed to move tenants out of their building, in order to make way for renters willing to pay more to live in the trendy and expensive neighborhood of SoMa.
According to Yahoo! News, rent prices in the area have gone sky-high in the past few years, but due to city restrictions, existing occupants are entitled to certain rent-control rights.
District Attorney George Gascon released a statement in court that called the couple's moves, "so outlandish and brazen that it sounds like the plot line of a horror movie."
On two occasions, the couple allegedly power sawed through the floor of one tenant's living room while he was inside the abode. They also cut out portions of the joists underneath the floorboards, the DA's office told Yahoo.
In addition to physical damage, the Macys threatened to have renters deported, cut off their utility lines, change locks and move or destroy tenants' belongings. A handful of times, the couple even called cops on legal tenants, calling them trespassers in their building.
The crimes happened between 2005 and 2007. The Macy's ran to Italy following their trial three years ago. Now, their sentencing is scheduled for August.
The two landlords' attorney Lisa Dewberry was not available for comment.
