An audacious scammer allegedly convinced Joe Sitt’s Thor Equities that he was related to fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg, allowing him to rent a $15,000-a-month penthouse at the developer’s 496 Broadway in Soho, according to a new lawsuit.
The landlord got wise, and is now suing the apparent fraudster – the self-styled “Corey von Furstenberg” – seeking his eviction, along with $100,000 in back rent.
Corey – if that is his real name – claimed to make over $1 million a year from his work as head of PR firm Von Furstenberg Creative Group, which he said represented the likes of Hillary Clinton and Mariah Carey, according to the suit. He also told Thor he draws $4 million a year from a trust fund.
The seeming fraudster allegedly went so far as to recruit a licensed attorney, New Jersey-based Edward D’Allesandro Jr. to verify his income and net worth, the New York Post reported.
Thor’s lawyer disagreed. Corey’s “income is not enough to even cover his rent,” the lawsuit asserts.
The alleged deception fell apart when “Von Furstenberg” very deeply behind on his rent.
At present, the scammer remains in the apartment at the five-story, 9,700-square-foot building. His lease expires in October.
“I know there’s a lot of illegal activity going on on the part of the building,” he told the Post via his intercom. [NYP] – Ariel Stulberg