A New York city man has been arrested and charged with repeatedly filing false property records claiming ownership of the historic New York Hotel, in which he lived rent-free for five years using a loophole in the housing law.
Mickey Barreto, 48, pleaded not guilty to 14 felony charges of offering false instrument for filing and 10 counts of criminal contempt after he attempted to steal ownership of the historic New Yorker Hotel, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.
The DA said that over the years, Barreto has falsely portrayed himself as the hotel's owner and attempted to register the property under his name with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
In addition to attempting to steal the hotel, Bragg's office also accused Barreto of charging another hotel tenant for rent.
Barreto's arrest in the latest chapter in the yearslong saga that saw him living rent-free at the New Yorker Hotel for five years after exploiting a loophole in the housing law.
Barreto's Stay at the New Yorker Hotel
Court records from the indictment showed that Barreto's residency at the New Yorker Hotel dates back to 2018. At the time, he and his boyfriend paid about $200 to rent one of the hotel rooms. However, he later demanded a lease from the hotel as a tenant and cited a loophole in New York City's Rent Stabilization Code, which grants tenants who live in individual rooms in buildings built prior to 1969 the right to request a six-month lease.
The hotel kicked him out after his request for a lease, spurring Barreto to sue the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, who bought the hotel in 1976.
"So I went to court the next day. The judge denied. I appealed to the [state] Supreme Court and I won the appeal," Barreto said.
Barreto won his appeal by default after the building's owners failed to show up for the trial. The judge ordered the hotel to give Barreto a key. The two parties never agreed on a lease term, which allows Barreto to live at the hotel without paying rent until July 2023.
Apart from the recent case, Barreto may still face more charges after the Unification Church sued him in 2019 for representing himself as the owner on LinkedIn and uploaded a forged deed to a city website. That case is still ongoing, per Business Insider.
