NEW YORK (AP) — For five years, a New York City man managed to live rent-free in a landmark Manhattan hotel by exploiting an obscure local housing law.
But prosecutors this week said Mickey Barreto went too far when he filed paperwork claiming ownership of the entire New Yorker Hotel building — and tried to charge another tenant rent.
“As alleged, Mickey Barreto repeatedly and fraudulently claimed ownership of one of the City’s most iconic landmarks, the New Yorker Hotel,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The Unification Church sued Barreto in 2019 over the deed claim, including his representations on LinkedIn as the building's owner.
“And I never made a penny out of this.”Barreto said his legal wrangling is activism aimed at denying profits to the Unification Church.
Persons:
Mickey Barreto, Barreto, “, ” Barreto, he'd, Barreto “, Sun Myung Moon, ”, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Nikola Tesla, Muhammad Ali, Baretto, Moon
Organizations:
Holy Spirit Association, New York City Department of Environmental, New Yorker, Attorney, Garden, Penn Station, Yorker, NBC, Unification, Unification Church
Locations:
New York City, Manhattan, Yorker, New York, Los Angeles, South Korea, Madison, North Korea