Man Pleads Guilty to Squatting and Faking Ownership of New Yorker Hotel
A New York City man has pleaded guilty to fraud after attempting to claim ownership of the New Yorker Hotel. Mickey Barreto used an obscure housing law to live rent-free for years, eventually forging property records to assert ownership of the entire building. His fraudulent efforts included uploading a fake deed to a city website and attempting to collect rent and demand bank transfers. Barreto has been sentenced to a six-month prison term, already served, and five years of probation.
John Q. Hosedrinker