Douglas Jemal

His first foray into retail began in the 1960s, when he and his younger brother Lawrence Jemal, opened a store called Bargaintown in Washington D.C. and soon after, a discount electronics store.[3] In 1976, they returned to New York with their newfound expertise and along with two other brothers - Marvin Jemal and Stephen Jemal - founded the discount electronics chain Nobody Beats the Wiz (the name of their father's favorite Broadway musical)[3] Douglas sold his share back to the family in 1993.[3] The chain went bankrupt in 1997.[3]

Jemal took the proceeds and began investing in Washington D.C. real estate which was opportune as the city was in the midst of a down cycle.[4] His success was compounded by the fact that he recognized that retail was under-present in D.C. (with half the national average of retail space per capita) and focused his efforts on high-end retailers.[4] He is also known for borrowing heavily to support his purchases and paying his contractors late to fund even more purchases.[4] Riding the wave of D.C.'s gentrification, he developed over ten million square feet of space through 2007, transforming the East End neighborhood near the Verizon Center, the Navy Yard neighborhood on the Anacostia River near Nationals Park, the Shaw neighborhood, and Chinatown into lively areas of mix of retail, restaurants, and housing.[1][2] He has been criticized for sitting on derelict properties rather than developing outright as well as and charging very high rents and forcing out long-standing local tenants.[3]

His method of doing business led to numerous lawsuits and a federal investigation and charges.[4] In July 2006, he was acquitted on federal charges of bribery, conspiracy, and tax evasion but convicted on the charge of wire fraud.[2][4][5] The wire charge conviction involved the taking of a loan with his business partner (and uncle of his son-in-law) Joseph Cayre.[4] Jemal took the proceeds from the loan and used it to support the purchase of another property unbeknownst to his business partner.[4] He was sentenced to a $175,000 fine and received five years probation.[6][7] As stated by Judge Urbina at the conclusion of the Sentencing Hearing: "One thing is clear: Mr. Jemal has devoted much of his adult life to good, charitable causes", Urbina said. "When I compare the valuable and worthwhile services [repeat offenders] provide to society and I see what Mr. Jemal has done over the course of his lifetime, it is inconceivable to me that I should impose the penalty proposed here. . . . Being fair means being fair." [8]

In 2016, he purchased One Seneca Tower, the tallest building in Buffalo, New York, with plans to convert it into a mixed-use development including retail, restaurant, hotel, office and apartment components.[9][10] In June 2019 he was announced as an inductee to the Washington Business Hall of Fame.[11]

On January 20, 2021, Jemal received a pardon for his 2008 wire fraud conviction from President Donald Trump.[12]