A New York-based property management company has broken its silence on recent reports that a Venezuelan gang known for its violent and illegal activities took control of several apartment buildings it manages in Aurora, Colorado.
The company said gang members seized control of some units, allegedly assaulted one of their employees, and tried to extort the company.
The landlord, CBZ Management, said in a series of posts on social media on Oct. 11 that law enforcement told them the notorious Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela was behind the takeover, which the company said left their residents and employees in a precarious situation, fearing for their safety.
The management firm said the trouble began in late 2023, after they had made significant investments to upgrade several apartment communities in Aurora.
“Everything was progressing smoothly: property values were rising and vacancy rates were dropping. It was a win-win for both the owners and the city of Aurora,” CBZ Management said in one of the posts. “Then, the gangs arrived.”
CBZ Management detailed how they first noticed a rise in crime and resident complaints, with an influx of unauthorized occupants infiltrating the buildings.
In one instance, a resident returned from vacation to find strangers living in his apartment. When confronted, many of the illegals claimed they had already paid rent—not to CBZ, but to a “different entity.”
“To address this entity (gangs) we contacted every city official we could think of to help with the problem,” the company said in one of the posts. “Unfortunately, none were willing to take meaningful action.”
CBZ Management said that it spoke to Aurora police, the FBI, and Homeland Security, who reportedly said that the gang was part of the Tren De Aragua criminal organization, which was also causing problems in other parts of the country.
“Two days after our FBI meeting, the gang confronted our onsite manager, asserting control over all three properties,” CBZ Management said. “They offered an ultimatum: share rental income 50/50 or lose the buildings permanently. They also threatened to harm him and his family.”
The company’s local representative in Aurora was attacked after refusing a bribe from unauthorized occupants inside a vacated unit, according to a separate post by CBZ Management on X with security footage of part of the assault, which left the representative beaten bloody.
Following the attack, the employee was hospitalized and later allegedly received threatening messages, some of which contained details about his family.
“For the safety of our management team and their families, we withdrew them from the properties and focused on seeking help from government agencies,” the company said in a post.
CBZ Management said it expected a swift response from the city, including resources and police protection, possibly even National Guard assistance, to help regain control of their properties.
The Aurora Police Department confirmed in late August that the task force had been established to address criminal activity connected to Tren de Aragua and other gangs operating in the area, working in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal authorities.
CBZ Management said it wasn’t enough and accused the city of drumming up “code violations” to shift the blame and shut down the properties.
“We were left helpless, watching as violence, bullets, and destruction overtook our buildings. Many of our legitimate tenants fled out of fear,” the company said in a post.
“Despite clear evidence, many still deny the reality of the situation, sometimes using us as scapegoats,” the company said. “That’s why we are no longer staying silent. We will continue to counter falsehoods with simple facts and evidence. Yes, gangs did take control of our apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, and the government did nothing. That is the real story.”
A City of Aurora spokesperson said that the city is “not going to give credence to these continued exaggerations.”
“These delinquent property owners, managers and/or ‘investors’ conveniently fail to acknowledge that their own bank lenders took them to court in the last few weeks where a judge ordered some of their problematic properties into receivership,” Ryan Luby, deputy director of communications for the City of Aurora, said in an emailed statement. “That means a judge has given the legal authority to a third-party receiver to actually manage the properties, and who the property owners will be forced to compensate.”
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman acknowledged the presence of criminal activity in certain apartment complexes but said the issue did not represent a widespread crisis in the city.
“The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated,” Coffman wrote in an Oct. 8 statement. “The incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents.”
Local law enforcement has refrained from making public statements about specific incidents or ongoing strategies to dismantle gang operations, citing the sensitive nature of their investigations.
(Tom Ozimek, Epoch Times)
An Aurora judge has delayed the trial of Zev Baumgarten, the owner of a controversial apartment complex purportedly taken over by Venezuelan gangs, giving him until February 14 to resolve charges stemming from outstanding code violations, according to court documents.
According to records from the Aurora Police Department, Baumgarten is the owner of an apartment complex at 1568 Nome Street, Fitzsimons Place, that was shut down by the city on August 13 for outstanding code violations dating back to 2020.
Baumgarten was scheduled for a jury trial in Aurora Municipal Court on August 27 to resolve 81 charges, and then had a second date on September 5 to deal with two dozen charges he faced related to unlawful vehicles.
According to an August 5 statement by CBZ Management, which ran Fitzsimons Place, the complex had fallen into severe disrepair because the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had scared away its property managers. (Fitzsimons Place is also listed online as Aspen Groves.)
Mayor Mike Coffman referred to the owners of Fitzsimons Place as “out-of-state slumlords” in an August 8 interview on 9News. Before their eviction, residents told Westword that the location had mostly been home to Venezuelan migrants for the past year; the migrants had moved there after learning about open units from other migrants. Upwards of 200 people lived at the property when it was shut down on August 13.
The claims that Tren de Aragua had taken over the apartment complex have put Aurora in the national spotlight, with online videos supposedly proving the charge. However, both Denver and Aurora officials—including the mayors of both cities—and Governor Jared Polis flatly dispute the claims.
CBZ Management, a company registered to Baumgarten, is the property manager for Fitzsimons Place along with ten other properties across New York and Colorado, according to its website. Four CBZ Management properties in Aurora have outstanding code violations, Aurora says, and residents from its properties in other parts of the metro area have complained about neglect as well.
On the same day as the mass eviction from the Nome Street complex, an Aurora Municipal Court judge granted an unopposed motion to vacate Baumgarten’s jury trial, according to court documents. That pre-trial conference will give Baumgarten a chance to resolve the charges with Aurora’s prosecutors.
Baumgarten also waived his right to a speedy trial, according to court documents.
Bennito L. Kelty, Westwood (excerpt)
