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A New York man pleaded guilty to fraud after falsely claiming ownership of the New Yorker Hotel and living rent-free for years.
Mickey Barreto, a New York City man, pleaded guilty to fraud after living rent-free in the New Yorker Hotel for years and attempting to claim ownership of the property.
He initially paid $200 for a room in 2018 and used a city housing law for pre-1969 buildings to obtain a court ruling granting him possession of his room after the hotel failed to appear in court.
Prosecutors claim he forged property documents, falsely claimed ownership on a city website, and attempted to collect rent and redirect the hotel's bank accounts.
Barreto was removed in 2024 after being found unfit to stand trial.
He received psychiatric treatment and accepted a plea deal that included a six-month prison sentence already served and five years of probation.
He maintained that he believed the court ruling granted him ownership and denied intent to defraud.
Un hombre de Nueva York se declaró culpable de fraude después de afirmar falsamente la propiedad del New Yorker Hotel y vivir sin alquiler durante años.