Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Landlord Plotted to Burn Down Building with Squatters Inside, DA Says

By Camille Bautista | November 3, 2014 8:23am
  Lalbahadour Byjoo, 50, and Jean St. Fleur, 30, were indicted Wednesday for planning to set fire to a Bed-Stuy building to force out squatters
Lalbahadour Byjoo, 50, and Jean St. Fleur, 30, were indicted Wednesday for planning to set fire to a Bed-Stuy building to force out squatters
View Full Caption
Flickr/s_falkow

BEDFORD STUYVESANT  — Two men plotted to burn down a building to get rid of squatters, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

Lalbahadour Byjoo, 50, who owned a two-family house in Bedford-Stuyvesant, is accused of conspiring to start the blaze with Jean St. Fleur, 30.

Two illegal tenants were living at his 304-A Sumpter Street building at the time, according to officials. 

Byjoo met with an undercover detective on Jan. 25 and explained how he could enter the residence to avoid surveillance cameras, according to court papers.

He then gave him $100 for gasoline, adding that he “liked his steak well done.” Days later, he met the agent again, telling him to “torch” the building, prosecutors said.

“These defendants allegedly tried to burn down a building with people in it and thereby put their lives in jeopardy, solely to get paid,” Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said in a statement.

“We simply cannot tolerate such alleged criminal conduct here in Brooklyn and will now hold them accountable.”

In addition to the arson-for-hire plot, both Byjoo and St. Fleur are accused of stealing properties with forged documents, obtaining a building on Lewis Avenue and another on Somers Street in Brownsville to sell the titles. 

The pair face charges including conspiracy, identity theft and criminal impersonation, among others.

They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.