Hearing postponed for alleged Venezuelan gang member accused of attacking Aurora apartment manager

AURORA | The hearing for the man accused of leaving a CBZ Management property manager covered in blood after attacking him in a northwest Aurora apartment has been postponed until December.

On November 14, 2023, the property manager of the Whispering Pines Condominiums at 1357 Helena St., Zev Baumgarten, was allegedly attacked by Yoendry Vilchez Medina-Jose, who also reportedly threatened the life of another resident of the apartment complex on the same day.

The CBZ Management account

Aurora police and city officials have repeatedly denied claims by property owners and City Council member Danielle Jurinsky that Venezuelan gangs have overrun the properties or the area. City officials say the problems at Whispering Pines and two other properties in northwest Aurora owned by CBZ are caused primarily by mismanagement, not by Venezuelan immigrants or gangs. Mayor Mike Coffman has repeatedly referred to CBZ as “slumlords.”

CBZ officials and their supporters on the city council stand behind claims that their complexes are being overrun by gangs.

“After some time, we noticed an increase in crime and tenant complaints. The most alarming moment occurred when our local CBZ representative was attacked in late 2023,” CBZ management said in an X account opened in September that focuses on contentious housing issues at three properties in northwest Aurora. “He went to inspect a recently vacated three-bedroom apartment (a rare occurrence for such a large unit) and found a group of men already there. When he refused their $500 bribe to overlook the situation, they brutally attacked him. This photo was taken shortly after his escape, just before he was taken to hospital.”

The photo attached to the post shows a man with a beard and glasses, with blood on his mouth, face and clothing.

A letter from law firm Perkins Coie – which represents CBZ’s interests – to Aurora police said: “Nov. In 2023, a property management consultant was beaten and kicked so badly by gang members that he had to be hospitalized. What is noteworthy is that this incident was captured on videotape, which we understand was provided to the Aurora Police Department.”

An arrest affidavit filed in the 18th Judicial District Court incident is currently suppressed, but the complaint details Medina-Jose's allegations. On August 5, Medina-Jose was arrested by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office on an Arapahoe District Court warrant. Medina-Jose was charged with felony menacing for threatening another Whispering Pines resident. He was also charged with third-degree assault on the property manager.

Aurora police officials announced on Sept. 11 that they had identified Medina-Jose as a member of the Tren de Aragua gang.

At the request of Medina-Jose's attorney, the arraignment hearing was postponed until December 6. He remains in custody at the Arapahoe County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

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