Detroit Area Landlord Offered Housing Benefits In Exchange For Sexual Contact: Feds

WESTLAND, MI — A metro Detroit landlord is in trouble with federal officials after they said he sexually harassed women tenants.

William Aaron Asper, the owner and manager of rental properties located in and around Westland, began sexually harassing women tenants in 2018, and has continued to the present day, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Officials said Asper offered tenants benefits such as reduced rent for sexual acts that included unwelcomed sexual comments, touching and groping, exposing his genitals to them and even touching them.

He retaliated against those who refused to comply by often carrying out or threatening to refuse home repairs or open an eviction process, officials said.

The William Aaron Asper Living Trust and REPSA Enterprises LLC were also named in the lawsuit, which accuses Asper of violating the Fair Housing Act.

"A man who preys on vulnerable women in need of a home deserves the greatest condemnation," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. "We will do our best to protect women against gross exploitation."

If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online.