New York City’s Robert Guzman has been charged with mail fraud for orchestrating a massive apartment rental scam that bilked over 2,000 unsuspecting renters out of more than $100,000. Guzman, who lacked real estate licenses, operated websites amazingapartmentrentals.com and www.equityproject.net, advertising apartments in New York City available for rent.
Victims were charged a fee to view these apartments, but when they sent the Application Fee to a P.O. box provided by Guzman, they discovered that many of the advertised properties either didn’t exist or weren’t available for rent. The scam spanned from 2013 to 2016, with some of the listings not even located in New York City.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called out Guzman’s exploitation of renters’ desperate search for affordable housing in the city. ‘Guzman took advantage of the need for affordable housing by devising a scheme to defraud those who could least afford to lose their hard-earned funds,’ said Bharara.
Guzman, 42, from the Bronx, was arrested this morning and will appear before Judge James C. Francis IV later today. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for mail fraud.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service played a pivotal role in the investigation that led to Guzman’s arrest. Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett emphasized the agency’s commitment to justice: ‘Today’s arrest exemplifies our Agency’s commitment to bring individuals to justice whose greed overshadows honesty and decency.’
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacob Warren, who heads the Office’s General Crimes Unit.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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