State of New York v. Elijah Medina

Bronx, New York, Criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with fraud.

Elijah Medina, 25, the Bronx, scammed prospective renters and accepting payments for apartments he had no authority to lease.

The defendant leveraged social media to lure his victims, taking advantage of their need to line his own pockets. The victims handed over thousands of dollars for apartments the defendant could not rent to them. My Office takes these cases seriously and this sentence holds the scammer accountable.

Between July 2023 and August 2023, a Facebook Marketplace post advertising an apartment for rent led numerous victims to contact Medina.

During those conversations, the defendant presented himself as a realtor with an available apartment and demanded thousands of dollars in payment for what he claimed were application fees, security deposits, and rent. Each of the victims agreed to rent the apartment and gave Medina the funds he demanded. Once he obtained the victims’ money, the defendant never provided keys, as he did not have permission to enter, show, or rent the apartment.

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to two to six years in prison andwas ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution.