A New Yorker, who found a loophole in the law to not pay rent for five years while living in a hotel, was caught for going a little too far and trying to claim ownership of the ‘establishment.
Mickey Barreto arrived in the Big Apple in 2018 and booked a room for just one night at the New Yorker Hotel.
Her boyfriend then allegedly informed her of a loophole in the city’s housing law that would allow room occupants in hotels built before 1969 to require a six-month lease, the New York Daily News.
Neither one nor two, he asked for a rental contract with the hotel, which he was refused. He then filed a lawsuit and was ultimately granted use of the room since the building’s owners failed to appear in court.
Mickey Barreto was then able to use his room for free and managed to stay there for five years.
The 48-year-old, however, reportedly tried to go a step further by attempting to claim ownership of the hotel.
He notably filed documents declaring that he was the owner and also tried to collect rent from other tenants, according to Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg, according to the media.
“Mickey Barreto repeatedly and fraudulently claimed ownership of one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the New Yorker Hotel,” the prosecutor said. “We will not tolerate the manipulation of our city’s property records by those who seek to cheat the system for personal gain.”
According to the alleged fraudster, the fact that the judge granted him access to the room indirectly meant that he gave him ownership of the entire building, because it had never been subdivided.
The 40-year-old was charged with 14 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and 10 counts of criminal contempt.
