Brooklyn Woman Indicted for Allegedly Stealing Approximately $15,800 From Prospective Tenants in Fraudulent Rental Scheme

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Monday, December 16, 2024

Brooklyn Woman Indicted for Allegedly Stealing Approximately $15,800 From Prospective Tenants in Fraudulent Rental Scheme

Defendant Allegedly Advertised Apartment for Rent in Russian Language Newspaper;
Several Alleged Victims Recently Came to the United States from Ukraine

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn woman has been arraigned on an indictment in which she is charged with grand larceny and related charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in "security deposits" and "rent" from prospective tenants who responded to her advertisement for an apartment in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "This defendant is accused of exploiting the trust and vulnerability of her neighbors, many of whom are newly arrived immigrants seeking stability in a new country. Her alleged actions not only caused financial harm but also betrayed individuals already navigating immense challenges. We are determined to hold her accountable and remind prospective tenants to safeguard themselves by insisting that landlords provide a written lease and avoiding cash payments in rental transactions."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Svetlana Katzevman, 62, of Gravesend, Brooklyn. She was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter on a 14-count indictment in which she is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud. She was released without bail and ordered to return to court on January 29, 2025.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between January 2022 and July 2024, the defendant placed an advertisement for a rental apartment at 1800 Ocean Parkway in a Russian newspaper, Russkaya Reklama. Individuals who responded to the advertisement allegedly paid the defendant amounts ranging from $700 to $2,300 under the belief that they were paying for a security deposit and rent. The defendant allegedly received approximately $15,800 from victims during that period.

Furthermore, it is alleged, the defendant would then change the locks or otherwise prevent the victims from moving in and refuse to return their money. Each of the 12 victims is Russian speaking and either worked or lived in Brooklyn. Several of the victims recently came to the U.S. from Ukraine and the defendant allegedly told them that she was giving them discounts on the rent because she, too, was from Ukraine and wanted to help them.

The defendant lives in the apartment she was allegedly trying to rent. In all the instances charged in the case the defendant allegedly insisted on cash instead of a check or other form of payment and did not provide a lease.

In addition, it is alleged, the victims included a 38-year-old man who gave the defendant a $700 deposit on November 13, 2023, and gave her the first month's rent, another $700 on November 15, 2023. She gave him a receipt for the funds upon his request. The same day she allegedly took another $700 from a 60-year-old man for a security deposit, and three days later took another $700 from him as the first month's rent.

In another example of the alleged scheme, the defendant received a $1,600 cash deposit from a 40-year-old man on April 13, 2024, and on April 17, 2024, she received a $2,300 cash deposit from a 65-year-old woman. Both were for a security deposit and first month's rent.

Each of the victims expected to move in shortly thereafter and were surprised to discover the apartment door was locked and the defendant did not return their phone calls or text messages.

The District Attorney thanked Intelligence Analyst Veranika Basak of the Investigations Division for her assistance on the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sergey Marts of the District Attorney's Investigations Division and Assistant District Attorney Andrew Kohler, Special Counsel to the Investigations Division, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Chief of the Investigations Division.

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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant's guilt

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