Buffalo N.Y. (WBEN) - New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Friday a major win in her office’s fight to protect Buffalo children and families from dangerous lead poisoning in their homes.
In March 2023, James sued Buffalo landlord Farhad Raiszadeh and his associated companies (Raiszadeh Group) for failing to properly address lead-based paint hazards.
An agreement, filed Friday in Erie County Supreme Court, will resolve the lawsuit and require the Raiszadeh Group to correct unsafe and deteriorating conditions at dozens of rental properties they own in Buffalo, many of which are located in low-income neighborhoods. The Raiszadeh Group will pay $515,000 in penalties, including $70,000 to create a tenant relief fund and $445,000 for lead hazard remediation, and submit to extensive oversight to ensure that its buildings are safe for current and future tenants.
"Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and healthy home, free from the devastating and irreversible harms of lead poisoning," said James in a statement Friday. "For years, Farhad Raiszadeh and the Raiszadeh Group failed to protect tenant families despite receiving repeated warnings and violations. Today, we are ensuring that hundreds of thousands of dollars will be invested directly into making these homes safe."
Since 2008, the Raiszadeh Group has owned and managed 78 buildings in Buffalo, primarily rented to low-income families of color. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that the Raiszadeh Group failed for years to properly address peeling and deteriorating lead paint, despite persistent warnings and citations from the City of Buffalo and Erie County.
These violations, documented in hundreds of city and county inspections since 2008, contributed to the lead poisoning of 14 children living in Raiszadeh Group properties between 2017 and 2025.
In total, 75% of the 78 properties Raiszadeh Group owned and managed were cited by inspectors for conditions conducive to lead poisoning, and all of its buildings were presumed to contain lead paint in some capacity.
Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious and irreversible health problems, particularly for children under the age of six. Even low levels of lead in blood can affect brain development, causing learning disabilities, attention deficits, and long-term harm.
Buffalo has one of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the nation, with children of color and those living in low-income neighborhoods disproportionately affected.
To resolve these issues, Attorney General James is requiring Raiszadeh and his companies to:
- Pay $70,000 to fund a tenant relief fund, which will be disbursed to families of children poisoned by lead in his properties;
- Spend at least $445,000 on certified hazard inspections and remediation work;
- Hire an EPA-certified risk assessor to evaluate properties within 30 days;
- Bring on a third-party monitor to oversee all work;
- Submit quarterly progress reports to OAG, Erie County, and the City of Buffalo.
All existing city and county housing code violations related to lead must be corrected within 60 days, and all lead remediation work must be completed within 18 months. If remediation work requires tenants to temporarily relocate, the landlords must provide safe, nearby accommodations at no cost or offer compensation to end their lease.
The settlement also prohibits the sale of any identified properties until they have been certified lead-safe, requires annual third-party inspections of all New York rental properties owned by the defendants for the next four years, and mandates that every tenant receive an EPA-approved lead hazard disclosure form, a lead safety information pamphlet, and copies of any inspection reports for their home.
If the Raiszadeh Group fails to comply with the settlement terms, it faces an additional suspended penalty of up to $445,000, plus interest.
Earlier this week, James met with elected officials, community leaders, and advocates to discuss lead poisoning prevention and lead remediation efforts in Buffalo and Western New York. At the meeting, James highlighted her office’s ongoing work to hold landlords and property managers accountable for lead paint violations and heard from attendees on strategies for addressing the lead crisis.