A health coach bilked a slew of would-be Huge Apple renters out of greater than $100,000 whole — and fleeced practically a dozen exercise prospects earlier than fleeing to Connecticut, Manhattan prosecutors claimed.
Jerry Genesis, 35, was indicted this week over the true property rip-off, by which he allegedly pretended to have residences in prime Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods obtainable for sublet, after which charged bogus move-in charges to unsuspecting victims.
It wasn’t his first con.
Genesis, of The Bronx, was indicted in February for a refund rip-off tied to his private coaching enterprise, by which not less than 10 victims received their wallets stretched over the course of some months in 2023, in response to courtroom papers.
However the purported serial scammer skipped city whereas out on supervised launch in that case — solely to be arrested in Stamford, Conn. in August after a three-hour standoff with police, officers stated.
Genesis was extradited to New York Metropolis and had been sweating it out in custody — when he was hit with grand larceny and fraud prices for the subleasing scheme, the Manhattan District Legal professional’s Workplace stated Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege he enticed not less than eight victims to signal bogus sublease agreements, with the potential renters ponying up move-in charges — for a complete of $101,692 — that he pocketed between November 2024 and July of this yr.
Genesis allegedly marketed residences in varied sizzling rental neighborhoods, just like the East Village, Chinatown, Nolita, Chelsea and Downtown Brooklyn, claiming that he was on the lookout for subletters to signal on to his lease, the DA’s workplace stated.
He went as far as to rearrange viewings and signed paperwork with the victims, whereas accumulating varied move-in charges starting from $8,000 to as excessive as $17,200, in response to prosecutors.
However not one of the hopeful renters have been capable of efficiently transfer into the residences they thought that they had subleased, the DA’s workplace stated.
One sufferer even confirmed up along with his luggage in hand — and located an eviction discover taped to the door.
Prosecutors stated Genesis had fraudulently rented the residences by mendacity about his employment and earnings on lease purposes, and he by no means paid a dime for the items.
“As alleged, Jerry Genesis took benefit of New York’s extraordinarily aggressive housing market to steal hard-earned cash from eight people who trusted him to seek out them residences,” DA Alvin Bragg stated in an announcement.
“One of many victims had already began shifting into the house earlier than he realized it was a rip-off, leaving him with no dwelling.”
Genesis additionally caught a bail leaping rap for fleeing the state and failing to indicate as much as courtroom following his separate indictment on grand larceny and fraud prices for the non-public coach hustle, the DA’s workplace stated.
A Yelp web page linked to Genesis boasts three evaluations — all of which allege his involvement in a racket the place, as a substitute of fulfilling a promised refund for health club credit, he truly racked up 1000’s in prices on purchasers’ bank cards.
“As a substitute of crediting me, he used my bank card to rack up greater than $22,300 in unauthorized prices which he by no means reversed, regardless of his guarantees,” one of many alleged victims claimed. “That is Grand Larceny, individuals.”
One TikTok person claimed that Genesis stole practically $10,000 from her after being a health consumer of his for years.
“I really feel ashamed that I fell for a rip-off, however he was somebody I trusted,” she wrote on his Yelp web page. “Please don’t let it occur to you.”
The DA’s workplace stated that, this time, Genesis was ordered held with out bail.
