Central Los Angeles : Slumlord to Filipino War Veterans Pleads No Contest

A man who brings Filipino World War II veterans into the country on credit and houses them in three aging apartment buildings in Hollywood has pleaded no contest to 10 counts of criminal slumlord violations.

Salvador Paja, 65, entered the plea last week as a trial was set to begin and was sentenced to two years probation and $4,435 in fines, according to Deputy City Atty. Lawrence Punter. The charges stem from inspections at two of the three buildings Paja owns.

The violations included damaged and deteriorating walls, missing and broken smoke detectors, faulty plumbing and cockroach and rodent infestation.

Punter said Paja has corrected many of the problems. He was originally charged with 36 violations.

Paja’s practice of bringing impoverished veterans to the United States is also the focus of a consumer fraud investigation by the city attorney. The veterans were granted U.S. citizenship in 1990 but lacked the means to travel here.

Paja, an attorney, offers the veterans loans for his services and houses them in his buildings, where as many as five men share a one-bedroom apartment. Authorities said the veterans are charged $115 per month in rent, and give Paja 25% of their Social Security checks until their debts are paid off.