The saga of Los Angeles's most illegal megamansion dates back well over a year. Prolific megamansion developer Mohamed Hadid had his building permits revoked for the project, but continued to construct the monster mansion earlier this year. Over the summer, he was told to demolish the parts of the 30,000-square-foot spec house that he didn't have approvals for, but didn't, so now he's getting hit with three criminal misdemeanor charges related to the mansion, "including an illegal use of land, building without a permit and failure to obey orders from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety to make the construction fall within city provisions," says the LA Times.
Back in July, the LA City Attorney was looking into possible prosecution over work on the lawbreaking residence. This was after Hadid had been ordered to demolish the creative but unpermitted additions that inspectors found at the house, which included a 70-seat IMAX theater and guest suites tucked under a swimming pool. Hadid appealed the order, but his appeal was denied.
Even though Hadid's only getting slapped with misdemeanors, each charge could potentially mean up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine. A lawyer representing Hadid told the Times that even though there's no evidence that Hadid did anything criminal at the site, "He's going to do everything he can to make sure the property conforms to all local provisions and laws." The city is also bringing criminal charges against the entity that owns the mansion and the property it sits on, 901 Strada LLC. In fact, Hadid's name was only added to the complaint last week, letting the LLC obscure his involvement. Hadid tells the New York Times, "We are diligently working to finish this project under the supervision and approval of all necessary government agencies."
· Developer Mohamed Hadid facing criminal charges over Bel-Air mansion [LAT]
· The Most Illegal Megamansion in Bel Air Really Has to Tear Down Illegal Parts Now [Curbed LA]
· Mohamed Hadid Getting Hit With Criminal Charges For Super Illegal Bel Air Megamansion [Curbed LA]