[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.

[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.

[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.

"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.

[11] In 2016, Jemal purchased the 40-story 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.

In 2020 he acquired the Statler City complex in Buffalo, following the death of its previous and local owner Mark D. Croce, which Jamal immediately began renovating.

[15] Further afield from the downtown area he purchased the 64-acre Boulevard Mall with major urban renewal plans for the property, and has negotiated a long-term lease to run, and update the Hotel Henry on the Richardson Olmsted Campus,[16][17] since renamed, The Richardson Hotel, and reopened in March 2023.