NOW THE HEAT’S ON!

Task force raps ‘ freeze ’ em out’ landlord

A Brooklyn landlord who made life hell for his rentregulated tenants in rapidly gentrifying Crown Heights became the first to be criminally charged by a new citystate task force, officials announced Wednesday.

Daniel Melamed ( inset), 39, was so intent on getting rid of tenants in his 14unit building at 1578 Union St. that he undertook major renovations that raised leaddust levels to 80 times the legal limit — and turned off the heat in the dead of winter, officials said.

“[ He] very systematically undermined the quality of life in his own building,” Mayor de Blasio said.

Melamed now faces charges of unlawful eviction, child endangerment and filing false documents and could be sentenced to 1 ¹ / ₃ to four years behind bars if guilty.

His construction engineer, Pirooz Soltanizadeh, 39, was also arrested and charged with a single felony count of filing false construction plans.

“These defendants filed plans for a massive and illegal construction project in this building,” said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

“They undertook months of demolition work that put the health and safety of every tenant at risk.”

The busts resulted from a special task force formed in February to weed out dirty landlords who try to force out their rentregulated tenants so they can jack up prices once the units are vacant.

When Melamed bought the building in December 2012, all 14 units were occupied. Only three families remain now.

“Initially, he offered people buyouts, but then in early 2013, he got much rougher and decided to start cutting off heat and hot water,” Schneiderman said.

The landlord even started tearing down doors and ripping the building apart, exposing tenants — including a 6yearold child— to lead dust, according to the indictment.

To hide his methods, Melamed allegedly had his engineer file a false document saying his building was empty during construction.

Tenants filed more than 300 complaints — and one resident told investigators she had to cover her child’s mouth and nose with a cloth when they left the building.

“[ Melamed] didn’t provide us with heat or hot water in the winter in 2014 from December to March,” said Jason Brooks, 33, whose mom, Rita Brooks, 56, still lives there. “For heat, we had to use the oven.”

Melamed’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

“My client is innocent,” Soltanizadeh’s lawyer, John Tasolides, told The Post.

Additional reporting by Danika Fears