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Man convicted of scamming NYC renters out of $100K sentenced to 2-4 years in prison
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 7, 2026
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By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 7, 2026
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A man convicted of scamming dozens of New York City renters was sentenced to two to four years in state prison in Manhattan criminal court Wednesday, following his sentencing in the Bronx for similar crimes there in August.
Juan Valoy, 47, pleaded guilty in July to stealing more than $100,000 from nearly two dozen victims across two cases, one in Manhattan and the other in the Bronx. In the Manhattan case, he pleaded guilty to one count of grand larceny for stealing around $25,000 from three victims in the form of supposed application fees, security deposits, and first months’ rents for apartments he had shown them despite not owning the apartments or having any rights to them.
“Juan Valoy has been sentenced to a state prison term for scamming and exploiting New Yorkers looking for housing,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “Those who take advantage of Manhattanites looking for stable housing during New York’s housing crisis will be held accountable.”
In the Bronx, Valoy was sentenced to four years in prison in August, after pleading guilty to one count of attempted burglary and two counts of scheme to defraud for stealing around $80,000 from 18 victims who had sought to rent apartments from him.
His sentences will be served concurrently, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors in Manhattan and the Bronx, Valoy would show desperate prospective renters renovated apartments that he had no permission to rent, and take anywhere from $2,500 to $7,000 from each of them. Valoy told them the money would ensure the apartment was held for them because there were many interested parties, prosecutors said. He would then stop returning their calls, or refuse to refund them, both DAs said.
In one instance in the Bronx, he told a 10-year-old boy in front of his mother that the apartment they were viewing on a day that happened to be his birthday would be his birthday gift, prosecutors said. But when the family tried to move into the apartment she believed she had rented from Valoy, she learned it was already occupied, they said.
Valoy was also previously convicted for grand larceny and scheme to defraud in Manhattan in 2015 and sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison. Manhattan prosecutors said at the time he’d stolen thousands of dollars from victims of a Washington Heights apartment scam, fraudulently offering to rent multiple apartments that he claimed were available to lease. Prosecutors said he’d ghost victims after collecting their money.
Real estate experts advise renters to be cautious in New York City's ruthless rental market, where skyrocketing rents and limited housing supply can leave renters vulnerable to falling for scams, or putting up with shady business practices.
This summer, Gothamist uncovered a pattern of allegations of stolen deposits against a different man named David Michael, who they said stole hundreds to thousands of dollars from them in deposits after showing them apartments they never moved into. Michael has not been charged with any wrongdoing. In a statement he said any claims that he stole money "or otherwise engaged in criminal conduct" are false.
The DA's office in Queens, where most of the people accusing Michael of stealing from them said they dealt with him, has not answered any questions — including questions sent by email Wednesday — about whether it is looking into the allegations, and has only said it does not comment on investigations.
Valoy's attorney declined comment.
Tagged
bronx
housing
manhattan
public safety
Catalina Gonella
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