BUFFALO, N.Y. — A state Attorney General’s probe into lead poisoning is focused on a group believed to own or manage more than 200 Buffalo properties – at least 25 of which were cited for lead-related violations, and at least 11 of which were homes to children who have tested positive for high lead levels, according to court papers.
The nearly year-long investigation was disclosed in court papers filed Friday by Attorney General Letitia James’ office. The filings describe the landlord/management group as “a tangled web of limited liability companies, corporations, and individuals,” who appear to operate out of a boarded-up building on the city’s East Side.
While no action has been taken against the group, state lawyers are demanding an attorney representing some of its members turn over records related to eight individuals and 47 companies that state investigators suspect are affiliated with each other.