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Phony real estate agent scammed would-be renters out of $25K, Manhattan DA says
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 1, 2025
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By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 1, 2025
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Prosecutors say a Bronx man stole $25,000 from three victims through an apartment rental scam, and that there may be more victims who are yet to be identified.
Juan Valoy, 46, posed as a real estate broker from March to July of this year, accepting payments of thousands of dollars for what he said were application fees, security deposits and first month’s rent, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said Tuesday. But the prospective renters never got the apartments, and Valoy would eventually disappear, Bragg said.
“Juan Valoy allegedly preyed on New Yorkers who were simply looking for a stable place to live at a time when affordable housing is scarce,” Bragg said in a statement announcing an indictment charging Valoy with grand larceny and scheme to defraud. “The defendant allegedly exploited these circumstances so he could line his own pockets, all while leaving families with children without a home.”
Prosecutors said the phony real estate agent would arrange tours of apartments he didn’t own or have permission to list throughout New York City, including in Washington Heights, Queens and the Bronx.
He would then solicit payments of more than $7,000 from prospective renters payable to Millan Serves Corp, a business registered to his name, prosecutors said. Bragg’s office said he would also collect financial records, birth certificates, pay stubs and Social Security numbers, claiming it was all necessary for rental applications, prosecutors said.
Valoy would then delay the move-in dates with excuses, including that the units needed repairs and pest treatments, according to the indictment. Then, he would cut off contact without refunding the victims, prosecutors said.
“In one case, the victim had already moved out of her prior home and tried to move with her young child into the Bronx apartment that she believed she had rented from Valoy, only to find that it was already occupied by other tenants,” the Manhattan DA’s office statement states.
Valoy pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. The attorney representing him declined to comment.
Bragg’s office said it became aware of the incidents because alleged victims called the office’s Immigrant Affairs Unit. It encouraged other potential victims to call the unit at 212-335-3600, regardless of immigration status.
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Catalina Gonella
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