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A man who stayed for free at the iconic New Yorker Hotel for years has pleaded guilty to fraud after trying to own the entire building using forged documents.
It all started in 2018, when Mickey Barretto paid $200 to stay at the historic New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan for just one night. After his stay, he requested a formal lease agreement, taking advantage of an old New York law that applies to buildings built before 1969.
When the hotel refused, the case went to court. Since the hotel's lawyers failed to show up for a crucial hearing, the judge granted him the right to stay in the room. So Barreto was able to stay there for years without paying a penny.
From tenant to owner
But Barreto didn't stop there. He filed false documents with the city authorities, claiming that the entire hotel (which belongs to a religious organization) had been transferred to him and now legally belonged to him!
After he finished with the paperwork, he started acting like a boss. He tried to collect rent from other customers and then demanded that the bank give him access to the hotel's accounts.
The end of the deception came 6 years later
His activities ceased in 2024 (6 years later, yes!), when authorities removed him from the building and charged him with fraud. He was initially deemed unfit to stand trial and had to undergo psychiatric treatment.
He eventually pleaded guilty. His sentence was six months in prison (which he has already served) and five years of probation. He until recently maintained that he had no intention of robbing anyone, but believed that since he owned the room, the entire building belonged to him.
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