Leaders accuse owner of 2 Pittsburgh-area malls of running down his properties

Facing pressure from online shopping, it's been a tough time for malls, which need a fresh round of investment in order to survive.

But some Pittsburgh-area towns accuse one mall owner of deliberately running down his properties, not doing routine maintenance, not paying taxes or utility bills and ignoring citations and fines.

The Crown Center Mall in Washington County is a near-empty shell. Since its purchase a decade ago by New York developer Michael Kohan, it's been in steady decline. Today, you could shoot a cannonball down its hallways and not hit a soul.

"It went from a vibrant mall with about 90 percent capacity to a vacant mall with 90 percent vacancy," said North Franklin Township supervisor Bob Sabot.

Times are tough for malls, but Sabot blames the tenant exodus on the Kohan