The longtime head of a Harlem-based nonprofit was arrested and jailed last week after a housing court judge found his organization had failed to complete repairs at a building it owns on West 114th Street.<\/p>\n
Judge Leslie Granger ordered the arrest of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement President and CEO Malcolm Punter for contempt on April 14 after finding that his organization failed to make court-ordered repairs in its 22-unit apartment building for more than a year. Punter spent the night on Rikers Island before his release the next day, court and Department of Correction records show.<\/p>\n
The order marks a rare instance of a person jailed for conditions in a building they own, and is made even more unusual by Punter\u2019s role as the head of a city-subsidized nonprofit.<\/p>\n
Judges occasionally issue arrest warrants for property owners who fail to appear in court or heed orders to make repairs, as in the case of another Northern Manhattan property owner now facing criminal charges for tenant harassment.<\/a><\/p>\n Punter did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment. He has served as a top official at the Harlem nonprofit since 2008 and was named its CEO in 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n Punter\u2019s lawyer Eric Kahan said Punter had tried to show the judge that his company had made repairs and submitted photos showing work being done in the days leading up to his arrest.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should not have happened,\u201d Kahan said. \u201cThe judge who allowed the arrest made a bad decision.\u201d<\/p>\n The 40-year-old Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement owns a portfolio of dozens of buildings and provides housing and services for families and individuals with HIV\/AIDS, young people aging out of foster care and seniors. The organization has received more than $450 million from federal, state and city agencies to develop more than 4,000 units of affordable housing, according to its website.<\/p>\n The building at 306 West 114th St. receives a property tax break worth more than $800,000 a year, according to Department of Finance records.<\/p>\n Two people who answered the phone in Punter\u2019s office refused to answer questions and referred instead to a press release from Punter and the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement board of directors dated April 15 and now posted on the organization\u2019s website.<\/p>\n In the written statement, Punter said the group is \u201cfocused on creating equitable housing solutions, promoting economic empowerment and ensuring that every resident has the opportunity to live in stable and prosperous communities.\u201d<\/p>\n Board of Directors Chair Keith Roberson added that \u201cthe board stands firmly behind Dr. Punter as we advance this vital work together.\u201d<\/p>\n The arrest stems from a January 2025 lawsuit filed by first-floor tenant Juliet Prioleau demanding repairs. Her suit names Parkside Plaza Associates LP, a subsidiary of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement that lists Punter as its officer.<\/p>\n Prioleau complained of a rodent infestation, mold growing throughout her apartment, and sewage leaking through her sink and toilet, according to an inspection request submitted to the court last year. City housing inspectors issued 43 violations for the unit and a judge ordered the owner to correct the various problems.<\/p>\n In August 2025, Manhattan Judge Alberto Gonzalez found that Punter\u2019s company had still not fixed the problems after about six months and issued a contempt order<\/a> and $250 daily fines. Six months later, in February, another housing court judge again found the problems unresolved.<\/p>\n The judge, Jack Stoller, issued a warrant for Punter\u2019s arrest<\/a> but paused its execution until the end of March, giving Punter another month to correct the most egregious violations.<\/p>\n On April 1, a third judge, Granger, found the company had not completed the work and ordered Punter\u2019s arrest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Court records show Punter and his attorneys attempted to stave off jail time, first arguing they could not gain access to Prioleau\u2019s apartment and then submitting photos they said showed the work being completed. In an April 10 affidavit<\/a>, Punter told the judge he had not been served court papers about the alleged contempt and that the company\u2019s property manager had completed repairs as required.<\/p>\n Punter was nevertheless arrested and taken to Rikers Island on April 14, court records show<\/a>. Granger ordered<\/a> his from jail the next day.<\/p>\n Prioleau, 56, told Gothamist she was happy to see consequences for the company\u2019s failure to fix the problems in her apartment after she and her neighbors complained for years<\/p>\n \u201cWe keep constantly asking them to take care of things and they\u2019re not,\u201d Prioleau said. \u201cMy apartment was the worst. I had mold, sewage coming up, rats, cockroaches.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she moved into the building in 2000 but has been staying at City University of New York dormitory while she attends John Jay College to avoid the problems in her apartment.<\/p>\n She said that over the years, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement and its subsidiaries typically only made superficial fixes that would appease housing inspectors, but did not address root causes of the problems.<\/p>\n \u201cThey bleach everything, they paint over the mold, they pour Fabuloso down the garbage shoot;,\u201d Prioleau said. \u201cNext thing I know, sewage comes out of the sink again.\u201d<\/p>\n She pays $747 a month for her one-bedroom unit, she said.<\/p>\n Property records show Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement took over the building at 306 West 114th St, from the city\u2019s Department of Housing Preservation and Development in 1999.<\/p>\n