Washington City Paper Series Nails DC Slumlord and Prompts AG Fines -

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Washington City Paper Series Nails DC Slumlord and Prompts AG Fines

Reporters Suzie Amanuel and Alex Koma's reporting on the troubling practices of landlord Sam Razjooyan has led to increased scrutiny over the controversial property owner.

Sam Delgado, published 06/27/25

A screenshot of a video, whcih shows Sam Razjooyan wearing a blue shirt and black pants, leaning against a wall in the lobby of an apartment building. Standing next to him are Jesper Nylen (wearing a black jacket with a blue shirt and black pants) and Richard Cunningham (wearing a baseball cap and a white short-sleeve button down with black pants). — A screenshot of a video shows Sam Razjooyan (left), Jesper Nylen, and Richard Cunningham meeting with tenants at 1717 17th St. NW.

Funded by SpotlightDC grants, Washington City Paper began investigating property owner Sam Razjooyan’s management and financing in 2024. After three eye-popping stories from reporters Suzie Amanuel and Alex Koma that ranged from data-driven to solutions-oriented, the DC government fined him $2 million for upwards of 2,000 infractions in June 2025.

Washington City Paper's investigative series found:

Razjooyan scammed tenants of property rights and left them in decrepit apartments
Despite fraud alerts, lenders kept supporting Razjooyan’s buying spree
While DC building inspectors dithered, the developer amassed 54 buildings with 600 units
Potential policy solutions to prevent future property mismanagement from landlords like Razjooyan, including better enforcement of TOPA and improvement of inspections of concerning properties