D.A. Bragg Announces Indictment In Luxury Apartment Rental Scam

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictment of ADAM CHATWIN, 36, for allegedly stealing over $32,000 from four individuals by falsely representing himself as the landlord of a Midtown Manhattan luxury studio apartment between April 11, 2025, and May 28, 2025. CHATWIN is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with three counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. [1]

"As alleged, Adam Chatwin posed as a landlord to scam four people who were searching for housing. Those who take advantage of the competitive housing market to steal hard-earned money from prospective renters will be prosecuted," said District Attorney Bragg. "If you are a victim of a rental scam, I urge you to contact our Housing and Tenant Protection Unit at 212-335-3300, or email [email protected]."

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, CHATWIN advertised the apartment, located at 350 West 42nd Street, on various online platforms, including Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor.com, and offered the unit for sublet under the false pretext that he and his fiancé were relocating for work.

CHATWIN was only a temporary occupant who had access to the unit for only a four-week period during the spring of 2025.

When the victims responded to his advertisements, CHATWIN arranged for them to view the apartment, drafted and signed fraudulent lease agreements identifying himself as the landlord, and received upfront payment of first month's rent along with a security deposit.

In one alleged incident, CHATWIN negotiated the entire lease term's payment upfront in cash for a large discount. CHATWIN also required the victims to pay additional fees for a variety of fabricated requirements, such as increased security deposits, urgent repair needs, pet fees, or gratuities for building staff. Upon receiving the funds, he provided the victims with copies of keys to the apartment.

After the victims paid thousands of dollars to CHATWIN to secure the apartment, none of the victims were able to move in because a long-term tenant was living in the apartment. When the victims attempted to contact CHATWIN to get their money back, he did not answer their calls or texts.

Manhattan D.A.'s Housing & Tenant Protection Unit

In October 2022, District Attorney Bragg launched the Office's first-ever Housing & Tenant Protection Unit, which targets systemic criminal harassment of tenants and abuse of government programs by landlords and developers. Areas of focus are harassment of rent-regulated tenants, deed fraud, and defrauding of government subsidy programs by landlords and developers. The Unit focuses on long-term investigations into systemic, structures, and organized criminal activity among landlords and developers.

Tips and complaints can be submitted to the Unit's helpline at 212-335-3300 or email [email protected]. The Office seeks justice for every victim and witness, regardless of immigration status.

Recent prosecutions include:

• The indictment of a landlord for allegedly harassing two older, rent-regulated tenants in Chelsea between September 2020 and September 2025.
• The indictment of a man for allegedly stealing approximately $25,000 from three victims through an apartment rental scam.
• The indictment of three individuals and three companies for allegedly working together to steal a Harlem brownstone by posing as the heir of the deceased owner of the building and committing deed fraud. The defendants allegedly acquired ownership of the building and fraudulently obtained a mortgage and construction loan to renovate the property so they could sell it for profit.

Assistant D.A. Minji Kim (Financial Frauds Bureau) is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Chikaelo Ibeabuchi (Chief of the Housing and Tenant Protection Unit), Kelly Thomas (Deputy Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau) Hope Korenstein (Deputy Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Kofi Sansculotte (Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division). Paralegal Blake Salesin and DANY Investigators John Michael Ryan and Ryan Lemon provided valuable assistance in this investigation.

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective John Lamneck of the Midtown South Detective Squad.

Defendant Information:

ADAM CHATWIN

Rochester, NY

Charged:

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, three counts
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, one count

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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.