Developer Mohamed Hadid and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office appear to be close to a plea deal in the criminal trial over the mega-mansion that he developed in Bel Air.
Although the terms are still unclear, Hadid will avoid jail time, L.A. City Attorney Deputy Chief Tina Hess told the Beverly Hills Courier last week.
Hadid and the city attorney’s office met in private Thursday morning, after which Hadid’s attorneys said their client is close to a guilty plea for violating the city building code by building a 30,000-square-foot spec home at 901 Strada Vecchia, the Courier reported.
The real estate mogul — best known from appearances on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and as the father of supermodel Gigi Hadid — will still face a mix of public service and fines, as well as a potential ban from building in L.A., according to the Courier.
Hadid’s attorneys argue that if sentencing could be delayed, he could bring the property into compliance so any potential criminal conviction would be erased.
If he is in fact convicted, he would have trouble securing a construction loan to bring the home into compliance, his attorney Robert Shapiro said Thursday in open court.
But the City Attorney’s office countered that federal regulations don’t prohibit anyone with a criminal conviction from obtaining a loan.
The real estate mogul was charged in late 2015 with building a spec mansion without a permit, illegally using land, and failing to comply with orders from the L.A. Department of Building and Safety to halt construction. Angry neighbors called the project “starship enterprise.”
The next hearing has been scheduled for May 9. [BHC] — Cathaleen Chen