Century III Mall: Criminal Charges Filed Against Owners

WEST MIFFLIN, PA — Criminal charges were filed Tuesday against the owners of the long-vacant Century III Mall, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced Tuesday. The criminal nuisance complaint was filed against Moonbeam Capital Investments, which oversaw the downfall of the once-proud retail complex.

At a Tuesday new conference, Zappala labeled the building "a criminal nuisance."

"Anyone who wants a tour of the building they have to put on a Hazmat suit," he said.

The move is an attempt to get the abandoned mall demolished. Zappala said the estimated cost of that could be as high as $13 million.

Once one of the largest malls in the world, Century III's interior closed in 2019. J.C. Penney, which had an exterior entrance, was the mall's last remaining store; it went out of business in 2020.>

Since then, squatters and drug activity have been reported in the mall's derelict ruins. Authorities repeatedly have advised people against breaking into the graffiti-strewn building, which has mold, pooled water and no power.