A 48-year-old American who stayed at one of New York's most prestigious hotels for five years at the princess's expense has been arrested on fraud charges.
Mickey Barreto, traveling from Los Angeles with his partner, rents for $200 for one night, but a friend alerts him to a local loophole that allows residents of single rooms in buildings built before 1969 to to request a six-month rental agreement.
When his request for a proper lease was rejected, the 40-year-old went to court, where he won his case on appeal after the judge granted a dismissal in the first instance, the Associated Press reported.
The prestigious “New York” establishment refused to negotiate a rental agreement with its unscrupulous client, who cannot be released due to the court decision that obliges the hotel to hand over a room key.
The 48-year-old, who clearly has a lot of ideas, even went so far as to upload a false deed of transfer of ownership of the building that houses the Big Apple Hotel to the city's website.
The suspect prosecuted by the judiciary does not give up and in 2023 submits further false documents to obtain ownership of the building, citing that the judge granted him “possession” of his room in 2018, during which Building was “never subdivided”. “
The 40-year-old went far in his efforts, but was arrested Wednesday and charged with fraud and providing false information about real estate, according to a news release from the Manhattan district attorney's office.
“He has repeatedly and fraudulently claimed ownership of one of the city's most significant monuments, the New Yorker Hotel,” said Alvin Bragg, a Manhattan lawyer.