Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud in New Yorker Hotel Ownership Scam
A New York City man who lived rent-free for years in the storied New Yorker Hotel has pleaded guilty to fraud charges, concluding a bizarre legal saga where he attempted to claim ownership of the iconic Manhattan property. Mickey Barreto entered his plea on Wednesday, admitting to forging property records in a brazen effort to seize control of the hotel.
Exploiting Obscure Tenant Law for Rent-Free Living
According to court documents, Barreto and his boyfriend paid $200 in 2018 to rent a room in the towering Art Deco hotel, which boasts over 1,000 rooms. Barreto then requested a formal lease, arguing that his brief stay entitled him to protections under a New York City housing law that applies to single-room occupants in buildings constructed before 1969.
When the hotel refused, Barreto took his case to housing court. After the hotel failed to send legal representation to a critical hearing, a judge awarded Barreto "possession" of his room. This initial victory, however, was just the beginning of his fraudulent scheme.
Forging Documents to Claim Entire Building
Manhattan prosecutors revealed that Barreto escalated his efforts by uploading a fake deed to a city website, purportedly transferring ownership of the entire New Yorker Hotel to himself. The property is currently owned by the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, a church founded in South Korea by the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The church did not respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Prosecutors detailed that Barreto then attempted to collect rent from a hotel tenant and demanded that the hotel's bank transfer its accounts to him. These actions led to his eventual eviction from the premises in 2024 and multiple felony fraud charges.
Legal and Psychiatric Proceedings
Following his arrest, Barreto was found unfit to stand trial and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. As part of his recent plea agreement, he was sentenced to a six-month prison term, which he has already served, along with five years of probation, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney.
Brian Hutchinson, Barreto's attorney, did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on the case.
Barreto's Defence and Claims
In previous statements to the Associated Press, Barreto maintained his innocence, arguing that the judge who granted him possession of his room indirectly gave him the entire building because it had never been legally subdivided.
"I never intended to commit any fraud. I don't believe I ever committed any fraud," Barreto said at the time. "And I never made a penny out of this."
Despite these claims, the guilty plea marks the end of a protracted legal battle that highlighted vulnerabilities in property and tenant laws, while underscoring the audacious nature of Barreto's fraudulent attempts to own one of Manhattan's most famous hotels.
