A Bronx woman was indicted Tuesday for stealing nearly $20,000 from eight people in a scheme promising affordable apartments in city–owned buildings.
According to the investigation, between June 2019 and September 2020, Jennifer Ricardo, 39, of Decatur Avenue, allegedly pretended to be either a real estate broker, an HPD employee or an HDC employee and met with her victims at various apartment buildings in the Bronx, accepting rent payments and security deposits for apartments in the buildings. The would–be renters never received keys or got the apartments and could not get in contact with Ricardo after they paid her. She allegedly scammed eight people out of a total of $19,459.
“The defendant preyed on people who entrusted her with their hard–earned money as rent and security deposits for apartments,” said District Attorney Darcel Clark. “She allegedly posed as a real estate broker or an employee of the city’s Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) or the city’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and took amounts from $1,620to $3,240 for deposits, which are enormous sums for people with low incomes. Her alleged behavior is unconscionable.”
She was arraigned on a 39–count indictment and charged with third–degree grand larceny, fourth–degree grand larceny, petit larceny, third–degree criminal possession of stolen property, fourth–degree criminal possession of stolen property, fifth–degree criminal possession of stolen property, first–degree scheme to defraud, second–degree scheme to defraud, second–degree criminal impersonation, second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and third–degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. She is due back in court Oct. 8.
