A New York man who attempted to claim ownership of the historic New Yorker Hotel has pleaded guilty to fraud, bringing an end to a lengthy legal saga. Mickey Barreto admitted forging property records in an effort to take control of the Art Deco landmark, where he had lived rent-free for years.
Barreto and his boyfriend paid $200 in 2018 to rent a room for one night. He then requested a lease, citing a city housing law protecting single-room occupants in buildings constructed before 1969. When the hotel refused, he took the case to housing court. After the hotel failed to send a lawyer to a key hearing, Barreto was awarded 'possession' of the room.
Prosecutors said Barreto went further by uploading a fake deed to a city website, purporting to transfer ownership of the entire building to himself. The hotel is owned by the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. Barreto then attempted to collect rent from a tenant and demanded the hotel’s bank transfer its accounts to him.
He was evicted in 2024 and charged with multiple counts of felony fraud. After being found unfit to stand trial, he underwent psychiatric treatment. As part of his plea, Barreto was sentenced to a six-month prison term already served, plus five years' probation.
Barreto previously told the Associated Press he never intended to commit fraud and that the judge's ruling effectively gave him the entire building. 'I never made a penny out of this,' he said.
