Woman Arrested In SoHo Apartment Scam, Prosecutors Say

SOHO, NY — A woman renting a SoHo apartment used a stolen identity to do so, Manhattan prosecutors alleged on Wednesday.

The Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance said his office was charging Janet Lee with multiple crimes after she allegedly used another person's name, forged driver's license and Social Security number to rent an apartment in the upscale SoHo neighborhood. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Lee, 42, is charged with identity theft and forgery, Vance said. Patch was not immediately able to locate an attorney for Lee on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say that in June, Lee emailed a real estate company to ask about an available apartment at 480 Broadway in SoHo using someone else's name. Lee applied for the apartment using a fake driver's license and tax return with the other person's name and Social Security number, according to Vance's office. She allegedly signed the victim's name more than 60 times throughout the rental application.

"New York is one of the most competitive real estate markets in the world," Vance said in a statement. "In this case, the defendant is charged with using stolen personal information to obtain an apartment under a completely different name and identity, falsely signing the victim’s name no fewer than 60 times on the rental application and lease agreement for a one-bedroom apartment listed at $6,000 per month."

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