A con artist allegedly defrauding people out of thousands through fake apartment rentals in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, was arrested on Wednesday while posing as a police officer, according to law enforcement and sources.
Nicholas Fueling, 43, faces 14 counts of grand theft related to a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at 334 W. 47th St., police reported.
Reports indicate Fueling surrendered to authorities in Midtown’s 18th precinct early Wednesday morning.
Potential victims, like 24-year-old Miguel Marcese, found themselves caught up in the scheme after responding to advertisements on social media, which led them to sign documents and transfer money to Fueling.
Marcese believed that verifying Fueling’s active social media presence and checking his real ID and the Docusign lease made the transactions seem legit.
He ended up signing a lease and paying $6,400 for the first month’s rent and security deposit after touring the apartment on August 12.
“I saw the listing for $3,200 for a two-bedroom, two-bath. It seemed like a great deal,” Marcese, who recently moved to the city to pursue modeling, recounted in a phone call.
“Honestly, it felt like a gold mine,” he added.
However, things took a turn when Marcese posted on Facebook looking for a roommate and discovered that someone else had already rented the same apartment for the same amount just days earlier.
Initially, Fueling claimed it was simply a misunderstanding and offered vague excuses about forgetting to cancel viewings.
As confusion mounted, Marcese and his friends started investigating and reaching out to Fueling about the apartment.
“We felt like detectives. We were just trying to see if he would slip up,” Maria Cordeiro mentioned, referring to the questions they posed to Fueling. “Three of my friends asked if it was still available, and he confirmed it was.”
Feeling they gathered enough information, they reported the fraud to the police.
Authorities then began a broader investigation and distributed wanted posters for Fueling’s arrest.
After the investigation began, however, Fueling went off the radar, and the NYPD indicated in late August that they had no arrests or leads.
Strangely, he chose to turn himself in this week.
This marked the first offense for the California native since moving to New York.
Meanwhile, Marcese and other victims have largely struggled to recover their lost funds from banks or payment apps.
District Councilor Eric Bocker, whose area includes Hell’s Kitchen, shared Fueling’s wanted poster after a friend of his fell victim to the scam.
“It’s crucial for people to be extremely careful when looking for apartments. This guy was really skilled at deception,” he noted.
