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Landlord 'wanted sex for rent'

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AN American landlord has gone on trial over accusations he demanded sex once a week from a woman who wanted to rent a house from him.

"Let's put it on the table ... once a week sounds good," a man identified as John Koch tells the woman on the tape.
The Justice Department has brought civil action against Koch for allegedly demanding sexual favours from female tenants – many of them on a low income and desperate to find housing – in lieu of such things as rent and bonds.

Prosecutors said Koch, who owns or manages about 50 rental properties in the Omaha area, also entered women's homes without notice and stole things if they rejected his advances.

Some tenants were wrongfully evicted or threatened in violation of the Fair Housing Act, the lawsuit alleges.

Tamechia Nedds, a single mother of two, said she agreed to be wired after she complained to Omaha's Fair Housing Centre about Koch's alleged conduct.

Nedds told the court that Koch made suggestive remarks to her several weeks before the tape was made, when she initially contacted him about renting a house.

"I felt lost," she said. "I felt like less of a person."

Koch's lawyer, Matthew McBride, said Koch's behaviour may have been "immoral" and "not proper," but it did not break federal law.

"There were no violent acts committed by Mr Koch – that's important here," he said.

The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages and a halt to the alleged discrimination.

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Don't tell momma I'm a government phoneman, she thinks I play piano in a whorehouse.