Queens Man Charged for Mailing 10,000 Fake Rat Control Violations

QUEENS, NY — Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a Queens man with sending 10,000 fraudulent vermin control fines to residents in Manhattan and the Bronx from April 2016 to September 2016. The notices fraudulently claimed the residents had violated vermin control regulations and demanded an immediate payment of $120.

Myong Hwan Han, also known as David, opened a bank account under the Vermin Control of New York name and collected about 101 checks from people who fell victim to the scam, prosecutors say. While Han only took in about $12,000 in the scam, he has been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud seeking to cheat New Yorkers out of over $1 million due to the number of letters sent.

The letters warned the fines could not be contested and failure to pay would result in additional fines, Department of Buildings violations and even court appearances, according to the indictment.

Han took part in the scheme with an unnamed co-conspirator, according to the feds.

The 31-year-old was caught through fairly simple means, according to prosecutors. Han printed the 10,000 flyers at a print shop, complete with envelopes and return envelopes, in April 2016. A print store employee identified Han from a photograph on Sept. 12.

The New York City Department of Health first got wind of the fraudulent flyers over the summer and warned residents they would never request direct payments for violations. The city provided a photo of the flyers, complete with a fraudulent Department of Health logo on it.

Photo Credit: Jean-Jacques Boujot via Flickr/Creative Commons