A fitness trainer is in legal trouble after being accused of scamming renters as well as workout customers. Authorities arrested the man after he fled to Connecticut.
New York prosecutors indicted 35-year-old Jerry Genesis. They've accused him of a real estate scam. The fitness trainer allegedly presented sought-after Manhattan and Brooklyn apartments. He then allegedly conned people by charging them a move-in fee for the non-existent apartments. This comes after he was already in trouble for a personal training business scam back in February.
According to prosecutors, he allegedly scammed 10 people back in 2023 as part of that scheme. The fitness trainer left New York, but authorities arrested in Connecticut back in August. They then extradited him back to New York City. They've charged him with both grand larceny and fraud charges.
Fitness Trainer In Trouble
He allegedly scammed eight people into signing fake sublease agreements. The fitness trainer allegedly gained $101,692 over the course of a year after advertising these apartments. Prosecutors say that he even went so far as to arrange viewings as part of the con. Move-in fees ranged from $8,000 to $17,200. But then renters learned they weren't really moving into the spaces.
Genesis allegedly lied about his employment and income on lease applications to rent the apartments for the scam.
"As alleged, Jerry Genesis took advantage of New York's extremely competitive housing market to steal hard-earned money from eight individuals who trusted him to find them apartments," DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "One of the victims had already started moving into the apartment before he realized it was a scam, leaving him without a home."
Meanwhile, the fitness trainer allegedly racked up charges using customers' credit cards as part of his personal fitness business.
"Instead of crediting me, he used my credit card to rack up more than $22,300 in unauthorized charges which he never reversed, despite his promises," one alleged victims claimed. "This is Grand Larceny, people."
