Two charged in $1.3M Bronx property scam

A Bronx man and his associate have been charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, after scamming three homebuyers out of a combined $1.3 million by selling property that didn’t belong to them, according to Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson. Mario Tolisano and Celestino Orta allegedly duped buyers into paying for city-seized property in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens that the duo claimed they had purchased or were in the process of purchasing. The three scams occurred in separate incidents in May and July 2008. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned today. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison.

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