Residents Hold Press Conference Re: Sex For Repairs Lawsuit

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Residents claim maintenance workers traded sex for repairs. Now the Baltimore City State's Attorney's office is opening a criminal investigation into those reports.

Derek Valcourt shows us the numerous problems people are dealing with on a daily basis.

Tyesha Harrell showed WJZ inside her Gilmor Homes apartment, where she details a long list of maintenance problems.

"It's unsafe and unsanitary," she said.

In a bathroom--a mouse hole. In the hallway--a mouse hole. In the kids' bedrooms--more mouse holes. She says her children are afraid to sleep alone.

"And I don't think it's good to live like this, and it seems like don't nobody care," said Harrell.

She's one of many public housing residents who took part in a press conference Wednesday with the group Communities United.

"I have mold in my house. It's been there for a year," said Alice Wilkerson, McCullough Homes.

Some say they're forced to live with deplorable and unsafe conditions, including mold, rodent and insect infestations and heating that does not work properly.

Many say their badly needed repairs are ignored by maintenance crews.

The complaints come amid a massive multi-million dollar federal lawsuit in which 11 women who live in public housing allege Housing Authority maintenance men demanded sexual favors before making repairs.

"If the allegations are true, they're despicable," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The Housing Authority says it's conducting its own investigation into the allegations, and the State's Attorney's Office says it's investigating to determine if criminal charges should be brought.

The group Communities United also has a long list of demands, including reforms within the Housing Authority and immediate repairs to the buildings.

The federal sex for repairs lawsuit is seeking $10 million for each of the 11 women who have come forward and joined the suit.