Getty. Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto has filed a civil lawsuit
Suit alleges unpermitted rentals and rent hikes exceeding 10% after wildfires.
By Sarah Lin
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto has filed a civil lawsuit against four people accused of running an illegal short-term rental operation spanning at least 30 properties.
The defendants — Dylan Abekasis, Arie Abekasis, Rajaa Chraibi and Marcelle Melka — allegedly converted residential properties, including rent-stabilized units, into short-term rentals without proper permits, according to the complaint. The city says they used expired or invalid home-sharing registration numbers and falsely claimed some properties were located outside Los Angeles to avoid local rules. The units were advertised on Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com.
The lawsuit also alleges that after the January 2025 wildfires, the defendants raised rental prices by more than 10%, violating state and local price-gouging laws that limit increases during declared emergencies.