DENVER — A troubled property management company that claimed Venezuelan gang activity prevented them from caring for their Aurora properties has a history of citations at their other Denver metro properties.

For months, several Aurora apartment complexes have been in the national spotlight following allegations that they had been “taken over” by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. CBZ Management, which owns the impacted complexes, has perpetuated those claims.

CBZ Management claims gang members prevented them from making repairs at their Aurora properties, saying it was too dangerous for their employees to be on site.

“Because we care for the safety of our tenants, and other members of the community, what we will say is, that the issue of Tren de Aragua taking over properties and communities in Aurora means that we are not able to be present on this property, or any of our other properties in similar situations, also being impacted by gang presence,” an investor for the properties said in a statement to Denver7 in August. “It is irresponsible to categorize this act of organized terror as the result of code violations when it is understood by several local and federal agencies that this gang has overtaken several apartment complexes in the area.”

However, code enforcement and inspection records dating back to 2020 show numerous violations prior to an influx of Venezuelan immigrants in the Denver metro, including mice infestations, ceiling damage, and dozens of unlawful vehicles parked in the parking lot. Aurora city officials say property owners failed to address and resolve most of these issues.

Watch our previous coverage in the video player below:

Aurora police deem two apartment complexes ‘criminal nuisances,’ threaten closure

CBZ owns nine properties in the Denver metro area — four in Aurora, three in Denver and two in Edgewater:

• The Jewell in Denver
• William Penn in Denver
• Courtyard on Vine in Denver
• Edge of Lowry in Aurora
• Aspen Grove in Aurora
• 200 Columbia in Aurora
• Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora
• Squire Apartment in Edgewater
• Duchess Apartments in Edgewater

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has accused CBZ Management of being “slumlords.” The City of Aurora closed its Aspen Grove property in August due to numerous code violations. Last month, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain deemed the Edge of Lowry and 200 Columbia properties “criminal nuisances” and threatened closure if violations were not addressed.

Tenants at the Whispering Pines Apartments in Aurora have called on the property owners and the city to address their poor living conditions.

“I ask you to please listen to us. Listen to our stories as renters. Listen to those of us who are impacted,” said Whispering Pines tenant Isamar Vilacha during a press conference. “Listen to us. We are responsible people and we want a solution.”

Inspection records show Whispering Pines tenants have dealt with issues like busted doorways and crumbling balconies for some time. The property has been cited for having broken heaters and scattered trash.

In separate letters to the Edge of Lowry and 200 Columbia, Chief Chamberlain noted an “extensive criminal call history” and a lack of property management presence. Between the two properties, Chamberlain noted 51 calls for service between Sept. 4, 2023 and Aug. 19.

Problems at CBZ Management properties seem to extend beyond the city of Aurora.

Danica Lee, director of the public health investigations division with Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE), said her team has spent years investigating complaints filed at CBZ Management’s three Denver properties — The Jewell, William Penn and Courtyard on Vine.

“With CBZ Management, we have quite a few violations, including outstanding violations,” Lee said.

DDPHE investigated 13 complaints that were filed against The Jewell in 2023. Three citations were issued, and the property owner was fined a total of $1,729. So far this year, DDPHE has investigated seven complaints and issued one citation with a fine of $250. The department confirmed there is one active case at The Jewell related to “unsafe living conditions.”

“We’ve seen that the management company and the ownership do not follow through on correcting issues as quickly as they should,” Lee said. “They also aren’t as proactive in maintaining the property in good condition.”

At the Courtyard on Vine, DDPHE investigated eight complaints and issued two citations, resulting in a fine total of $750.

The department has investigated three complaints at the Courtyard on Vine so far this year. DDPHE said inspections documented mold, a lack of hot water and sanitation concerns.

“We’ve gone out there, we found violations. We’ve issued orders to correct, and those orders are still outstanding,” Lee said.

City of Aurora

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In 2023, DDPHE investigated five complaints at CBZ Management’s third Denver property, William Penn. One case remains active, according to the department.

So far this year, the department has investigated seven complaints at the property, and two cases remain active. The cases involve trash, water intrusion, pests and an unsecured door, according to DDPHE. Those violations have yet to be addressed.

DDPHE has issued 12 citations to the William Penn property so far this year, totaling $44,249 in fines.

“When we get to this level of fines, certainly it raises red flags for us, and we are trying to find ways of increasing the pressure,” said Lee.

None of the fines at the three Denver properties have been paid, and most have been sent to collections, according to DDPHE. Since the fines at William Penn are so high, the City of Denver is considering going a step further.

“We do use liens if there are a number of fines that remain unpaid past their due date,” Lee said. “That is the case here, and it’s just one more tool that we have to hopefully motivate property ownership and property managers to correct violations quickly.”

Denver7

The city can file criminal charges against property owners if violations are not addressed.

“In this case, we anticipate there will be criminal charges likely filed,” said Lee. “We’re working with the city attorney’s office to evaluate that.”

William Penn resident Kiara Williams believes more can be done to make the complex better.

“I mean, they could do a way better job because it’s kind of run down in there,” she said. “I think they could do the windows, redo the windows better.”

Though she wants improved living conditions, Williams said her priority is keeping a roof over her head.

Denver7 reached out to CBZ Management for comment regarding its Denver properties but has not heard back as of the publication of this article.

The 47th Denver Film Festival is moving all but one its red-carpet screenings to a new venue this year, alongside Colorado premieres of buzzy indies such as “The Piano Lesson” and “The Brutalist,” and in-person guests including Patricia Clarkson, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

The festival, Nov. 1-10 at multiple venues, will offer 185 narrative features, shorts, and documentaries, as well as parties, panels, workshops and a gala, according to nonprofit producer Denver Film.

Single tickets to screenings, plus special and gala presentations and Red Carpets, are on sale to Denver Film members on Thursday, Oct. 3, and the public on Friday, Oct. 4, at denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival.

For the first time this year, the festival‘s opening and closing-night red carpet screenings will be at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Holiday Theater, a historic building the museum restored in the Highland neighborhood that has lately hosted screenings, panels and musical performances. The Red Carpets are moving there from downtown’s Ellie Caulkins Opera House, a favored and prestigious venue that Denver Film has in recent years struggled to fill — even before the pandemic.

However, the Centerpiece presentation of “The Order” still will be at the Ellie. The film is an adaptation of a nonfiction book co-written by former Rocky Mountain News reporter and current Denver City Councilman Kevin Flynn, which looks at a violent, far-right group of neo-Nazis that operated in Washington in the 1980s. It stars Jude Law and Nicholas Holt and plays the Ellie on Nov. 8.

Bookending it are opening and closing-night red carpets at MCA’s Holiday Theater, with the first being the Nov. 1 screening of “The Piano Lesson.” The August Wilson adaptation stars Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington; writer Virgil Williams will appear in person to receive Denver Film’s Excellence in Writing award.

The festival will close with “September 5,” which stars Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro in its dramatization of the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis. It plays the MCA Holiday Theater on Nov. 9.

Several Denver premieres are also slated, including “The Brutalist,” “Better Man,” “The Room Next Door,” “Emilia Perez,” “Blitz,” “Oh, Canada,” “The Last Showgirl” and “Nightbitch” — that last one starring Colorado native Amy Adams.

Fest producers also said they’ll host celebs this year such as Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects,” “Six Feet Under”), who will receive the Cassavetes Award at a screening of “Lilly” at MCA Denver Holiday Theater. Marianne Jean-Baptiste will receive Denver Film’s Excellence in Acting Award following a screening of “Hard Truths,” Denver Film said. Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”), will be on-hand for his CinemaQ LaBahn Ikon Film Award, following a screening of “All That We Love” and short film “It’s Okay.”

Directors RaMell Ross (“The Nickel Boys”), Jason Reitman (“Saturday Night”), Nnamdi Asomugha (“The Knife”), Cristiana Dell’Anna (“Cabrini”) and others will appear in person alongside their screenings.

Denver Film’s Sie FilmCenter will serve as the festival anchor, with additional screenings at the Ellie, Denver Botanic Gardens, AMC 9 + CO 10, and the MCA Holiday Theater.

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Alex Singleton’s season-ending knee injury had a trickle-down effect on several other Broncos inside linebackers Sunday against the New York Jets.

Cody Barton played every snap and relayed defensive calls from Vance Joseph, neither of which he’d done previously.

Justin Strnad started, played 57 snaps defensively — his first non-special teams action since 2021 — and logged his first career sack.

“I think it would be more Alex to Justin because Cody kind of stayed in the same position he’s been playing,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday of the role changes. “I mean Cody had the green dot, but other than that — those guys stepped up. It’s always difficult when you lose someone who’s been as productive and certainly one of the team leaders.

“I was proud of the way those young guys played.”

Another, Levelle Bailey, was elevated from the practice squad and made his NFL debut with 10 special teams snaps.

Who got more bang for their buck, though, than Kristian Welch?

The relative newcomer, signed after the preseason when he didn’t make Green Bay’s initial roster, did not play a defensive snap against Tampa Bay and then got just three against the Jets.

But boy, did he make the most of them.

Welch’s role actually didn’t even change all that much. He played 27 snaps in some mixed downs settings against Seattle and Pittsburgh, teams that are heavier personnel-wise than the Bucs and more apt to run the ball. Another part of his regular workload: Goal line defense.

And he played a central role in Denver coming up with one of its biggest stops of the afternoon against New York.

The Jets found themselves first-and-goal at the Denver 1-yard line late in the first quarter after a pass interference penalty on Riley Moss.

Defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach stood firm at the point of attack on a first-down Breece Hall run, but Hall started to fall back toward the middle of the field and the goal line.

Welch was there to stuff him and make sure he dropped before getting across with help from Barton, who cleaned up at the end of the play.

On second down the Jets ran right at Welch out of the I-formation, with Rodgers again handing the ball to Hall.

Rookie outside linebacker Jonah Elliss violently knocked tight end Tyler Conklin back to disrupt the play from the start. Welch folded outside of Elliss and inside of safety P.J. Locke and thumped Hall, stopping him in his tracks for a short loss.

Then on third down, Rodgers rolled to the right on play action and looked for an opening. Welch started downhill but retreated and, along with Barton, covered just enough ground to keep Rodgers from throwing to Conklin in the back corner of the end zone. Franklin-Myers swam over a block attempt and ran past running back Braelon Allen, quickly chasing Rodgers into a throw-away.

That’s three snaps on the afternoon for Welch: Assisted tackle, tackle, coverage. Then a false start on fourth-and-goal from the 1 for the Jets forced coach Robert Saleh to put his field goal unit on the field.

Those points, of course, ended up being critical in a game that was within one score for all 60 minutes.

One small thing I liked: When the Broncos really needed a third-down conversion in the third quarter, Payton didn’t mess around. He went right to rookie QB Bo Nix’s comfort zone. He dialed up a dagger concept and Nix made his best throw of the day to Courtland Sutton for 29 yards on third-and-11. The Broncos were 0 of 8 on third down to that point but converted three times on their 87-yard touchdown drive.

It was also good that Payton acknowledged Monday the need to be able to branch out with Nix going forward.

“Like anything else, if you repeat something and you get more and more comfortable with it, then it becomes a play you like and then it becomes one of your favorites,” Payton said. “You get to it in a critical situation. That was a big drive, obviously. That was an important drive for us to kind of take it from our end and convert there and go on to score a touchdown.

“I think that confidence level will continue to grow and it’s important that it grows with other route combinations.”

One small thing I didn’t like: Seventh-round rookie WR Devaughn Vele did everything right during camp, made plays day after day, had eight catches in Week 1 (albeit for 39 yards) and then hurt his ribs. He was ruled out Week 2 because of the injury but the Broncos have called him a healthy scratch the past two weeks. Why?

Perhaps his role crosses over too much with Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who’s had a nice start to the season. But given the way Denver’s offense is likely to look for at least the next several weeks, it’s hard to argue that Troy Franklin is the better option right now.

Franklin’s got real speed, but also four catches (10 targets) for 9 yards so far. Nix hasn’t shown he can get the ball over the top to Franklin — he underthrew one deep attempt Sunday — and Vele so far has been a better option blocking and operating in the shallow parts of the field.

One trend to watch: This is not hyperbole: Zach Allen’s playing like one of the best defensive linemen in football through four weeks. He dominated Jets guard John Simpson and whoever else lined up across from him on Sunday.

Allen through four games has already racked up 21 quarterback pressures, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. His 15% pressure rate is comfortably top 20 among all players in the NFL and top 10 among defensive linemen. And on top of it he played every snap against the Jets to tick up to 95% play time for the season. That rate of production at that workload is not normal for his position.

It matters, too, even when the play doesn’t end in a sack. Allen might have saved a touchdown early in the fourth quarter when he looped around Roach and flashed in Rodgers’ face on second-and-11 from the Denver 24. Rodgers had already seen plenty of No. 99 on the day and when Allen flashed, Rodgers immediately flipped the ball out incomplete to the flat. That happened just as Garrett Wilson was breaking wide open up the seam. Assuming Rodgers sees it, it’s a likely touchdown and 13-7 Jets lead. Instead, New York settled for a field goal after — you guessed it — Allen chased down Rodgers and ran him out of bounds on third down.

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Originally Published: September 30, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.