A gang member who ran a fire restoration company has been convicted of using violence, threats of violence, and extortion to terrorize and dominate the fire restoration industry in New York City.
After presiding over a two-week bench trial in December, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff for the Southern District of New York last week found Jatiek Smith guilty of racketeering and extortion conspiracies.
Fire restoration or mitigation businesses provide repair, mitigation, demolition, and construction services to properties that have suffered fire damages. Smith was involved the practice of “chasing fires,” which refers to a fire mitigation company’s or public adjuster’s efforts to solicit business from the owners of fire-damaged properties.
One such company, First Response, primarily operated in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island but also did business in the Bronx and Manha