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The city has charged the second Astoria landlord this month for a rental scam. Hinyoung Limtung, a landlord who owns the rental building 31-70 Crescent Street, illegally converted the building from a two-family to a five-family home. The Department of Buildings caught him in December and ordered him to clear the building. He didn’t, though — instead he carved out a nine-family home and took in more renters. In total, the landlord took over $44,000 from 10 different tenants. Limtung is now facing 32 counts of grand larceny, fraud, reckless endangerment, as well as other charges. Earlier this month, the city charged Mario Lalicata for stealing $17,000 using a Craiglist rental scheme. As the News says, “The stress of finding an affordable apartment — especially in western Queens — is creating an opportunity for con artists.” Rose Marie Poveromo, the president of the United Community Civic Association, called the rent spike in the area “obscene.”

Another Astoria Landlord Indicted for Rental Scheme [NY Daily News]
Photo via PropertyShark


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