Brooklyn resident scammed with affordable housing for $ 74 thousand

Three women dreamed of buying apartments as part of the affordable housing program in New York, but fell into the scam. They paid him tens of thousands of dollars, but never got what they wanted. The publication writes about this in detail. Daily News.

What happened

According to New York authorities on February 18, Akim Sokolovski, a resident of Brooklyn, is behind an affordable housing scheme. Prosecutors said the con man took 74 thousand dollars in cash from three women who wanted to buy apartments under the Mitchell Lama program on Coney Island.

At the same time, Sokolovsky himself had nothing to do with the federal budget-financed affordable housing program, and the dreams of future homeowners were destroyed.

According to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, the defendant played on the disappointment of many Brooklyn residents hoping to find affordable housing. “We will not allow fraudsters to corrupt the process by which eligible potential tenants gain access to affordable housing,” he stressed.

About the Mitchell Lama Program

The Mitchell-Lama government program was developed in the 1950's. Its goal is to provide affordable housing for middle-income families, not only in New York, but throughout the country. This program is funded from the federal budget.

Under the program, potential tenants and members of cooperatives have the right to rent or buy an apartment if their income falls within the established limits and the number of people in the family complies with the occupancy rate of the apartment.

How a swindler managed to trick victims

Sokolovsky himself lives in Amalgamated Warbasse Houses, a limited liability housing cooperative on Coney Island owned by the Mitchell Lama. He extorted money from the victims by presenting himself as someone with access to control. Sokolovsky allegedly offered each victim to pay him $ 15 in cash. In return, he promised to help them avoid waiting lists. Prosecutors added that Sokolovsky also promised the victims that the apartments would be available within six months to a year.

Having received an initial $ 45, he allegedly requested two of the victims for additional cash payments for other apartments. One man gave him $ 000, and another $ 25.

Sokolovsky did not fulfill his promises and refused to return the money. The swindler was prosecuted for alleged theft on a large scale and fraud. However, according to the source, he was released without bail.

Other affordable housing scams in New York

Two months ago, several applicants from Mitchell Lama sued the Department of Housing and Urban Development in a federal court. They stated that they were bypassed on a waiting list in favor of well-connected candidates.

On the subject: New York sues three Russian-speaking women because of affordable housing scam

In 2018, several Coney Island officials were arrested and charged with receiving $ 874 in bribes. For this money, they helped wealthy investors take possession of the coveted apartments of the Mitchell Lama. The defendants - Anna Treibich, Irina Zeltser and Karina Andriyan - used the funds received from the sale of apartments in the Luna Park Housing Corp residential complex for personal purposes. The swindlers bought expensive real estate in Florida, collections of high-quality fur coats, designer bags and jewelry. The three are charged with 000 counts of conspiracy, large-scale embezzlement, bribe-taking, and other crimes committed since 78.