Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Alleged UWS Grifter "Treated People Like Crap"
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 1, 2008
Modified Nov 1, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 1, 2008
Modified Nov 1, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Post spoke to a former employee of the Upper West Side resident accused of swindling Fortune 500 companies out of millions. The Department of Justice claims that Dina Wein-Reis and others would buy products, from contact lens and snacks to diabetes equipment and laundry detergent, at lower prices, claiming they'd be given out as promotions but actually sold them at higher prices to retailers like Walgreen's--raking in millions. The former employee said, "She treated people like crap, so she ended up going through staff very quickly,. She was very nasty to people and slow to pay... She was a good businesswoman, but she really just used her good looks to swindle people. She was very shrewd." Wein-Reis is being held without bail; the DOJ has asked that her and husband's West 75th Street and Riverside Drive mansion, full of millions of dollars worth of art, be seized.
Tagged
Dina Wein-Reis
promotional product
scam
swindle
Upper West Side
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Early Addition: There's a new hot duck, this time in Queens
Because a mandarin duck has been frolicking in Flushing, here are your early links: RHONY star racked up a lot of parking tickets, 57 best Italian restaurants in New Jersey, Judi Dench said the "Cats" movie was bad and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 9:40 a.m. ET
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
The bank previously faced protests over a $90 million loan to an Israeli drone company.
By
Ryan Kost
News
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
The bank previously faced protests over a $90 million loan to an Israeli drone company.
By
Ryan Kost
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
By
Mike Hayes
NYC school integration debate exposes tensions between Black parents and Mamdani
By
Elizabeth Kim
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
By
Giulia Heyward
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .