The District agency responsible for enforcing business licenses and permits took a rare, almost unprecedented action this week against two allegedly illegal enterprises, including one its been working with for 16 years.
The Department of Consumer and Regulator Affairs had Chris Kuri, president of Kuri Brothers Inc., arrested Tuesday and charged with 510 counts of illegal activity — one count for each day he operated Van Ness Auto Care at 4221 Connecticut Ave. NW, without a valid certificate of occupancy and for each day after its articles of incorporation had been revoked.
And on Sept. 28, Nancy Dao and Edward Rooths, owners of Nancy’s Laundry at 1312 13th St. NW, were arrested and charged with unlawfully using a premise without a valid certificate of occupancy.
So is DCRA on the prowl for iniquitous businesses? Bill Crews, the District’s zoning administrator, said the city is “ready to take more aggressive enforcement action.”
“I’ve never had anyone arrested until now,” Crews said. “So I guess it is heightened.”
It’s good to see DCRA is “finally doing the consumer affairs job that they’ve neglected for years …” said Karen Perry, a Ward 3 advisory neighborhood commissioner who represents the Van Ness neighborhood. Perry said she hopes the arrests will send a message to all illegal businesses, but she was surprised DCRA went as far as it did with Kuri Brothers: “I thought they would just put a padlock on it.”
“I feel bad,” she said. “But at the same time they have knowingly flaunted the law since 1989.”
Kuri could not be reached for comment.
In the case of Kuri Brothers, Crews said, the District sought to bring the outfit into compliance before taking action. All business owners, he said, are provided due process, which can take years.
Crews said it’s up to the community, advisory neighborhood commissions and residents to launch the complaint process against illegally operating businesses.
