Yonkers landlord accused of stealing thousands from multiple renters

News 12 has uncovered an apparent rental scam in Yonkers that allegedly has tenants without thousands of dollars of their own money.

News 12 Staff

Oct 15, 2019, 12:54 AM

Updated 1,653 days ago

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News 12 has uncovered an apparent rental scam in Yonkers that allegedly has tenants without thousands of dollars of their own money.
Tenants of 337 North Broadway say landlord Julio Diaz is a total scammer. They say his game is to ask tenants for thousands of dollars in security deposits, and when they want it back, he tells them he spent it to fix up their units. They claim those fixes are never even made.
Two families who lived there or tried to move in say Diaz owes them nearly $5,000 apiece. Other tenants say they're owed $3,600 and $2,300 each.
On top of that, one recent renter who lived there with her two kids said the apartment didn't even have heat, hot water or electricity.
News 12 spoke with the landlord by phone, who says he is unemployed, depressed, but only owes one tenant their security deposit. When he was asked why he thought it was OK to take someone's money, he said to speak to his attorney and hung up.
Four tenants who News 12 spoke to are taking Diaz to family court to try and recoup their money.
According to public court records, Diaz has faced three lawsuits from major banks in the last two years for failure to pay debt.
Tenants say Diaz is still listing the building for rent.
 


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