NYC Man Charged With Making Deals To Sell Uptown Building He Didn't Own

From the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney:

• Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau announced [...] the indictment of a realtor for conducting a real estate fraud scheme in which he struck several deals to sell a commercial building that he did not own. The defendant, HENRY VARGAS, 35, was indicted on charges of scheme to defraud, grand larceny and forgery.

***

• The investigation leading to the indictment revealed that more than two years ago, VARGAS began fraudulently passing himself off as the owner of 21-41 Lenox Avenue, a commercial building just north of Central Park. In fact, the building was wholly-owned by Manuel Duran, Jr. Using false representations and forged documents, VARGAS duped numerous real estate developers, business people, architects, attorneys and property owners into believing that he, not Duran, owned a controlling interest in the property.

Go here for the entire Manhattan DA press release.

See also, The New York Times: Man Charged in Scheme to Sell Harlem Property.