Man scams NYC renters out of thousands, flees to Connecticut, then one victim showed up to move in and found something taped to the door

Jerry Genesis, a 35-year-old fitness trainer from The Bronx, was charged this week with grand larceny and fraud. Prosecutors say he ran a fake real estate scheme that took over $100,000 from people looking for apartments. This comes after Genesis ran away from his supervised release and was arrested in Stamford, Connecticut, in August following a three-hour standoff with police.

According to the NY Post, Manhattan prosecutors say Genesis tricked at least eight victims into signing fake sublease agreements between November 2024 and July 2025. He claimed to have apartments available in popular Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods, including the East Village, Chelsea, Nolita, Chinatown, and Downtown Brooklyn.

Genesis showed the apartments to his victims and signed paperwork to make everything look real. He asked renters to pay large move-in fees that ranged from $8,000 to $17,200. In total, Genesis collected $101,692 from people who thought they were getting apartments.

Genesis left victims homeless after stealing their money

The scam fell apart when none of the victims could actually move into their apartments. One person showed up with his bags ready to move in but found an eviction notice on the door. Prosecutors say Genesis lied about his job and income to rent the apartments himself, then never paid any rent.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said 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.” One victim had already started moving in before learning it was all fake and was left without a home. This case shows how important it is to verify hotel and rental bookings before paying large deposits.

This was not Genesis’s first alleged scam. In February 2024, he was charged with running a refund scam through his personal training business. Court documents show that in 2023, Genesis scammed at least 10 gym clients over several months.

One client said Genesis promised to refund gym credits but instead used the client’s credit card to make over $22,300 in unauthorized charges. Another person claimed Genesis stole nearly $10,000 from her after she had been his fitness client for years. New Yorkers need to stay alert as street scams targeting drivers continue to rise across the city.

After being charged for the personal training scams, Genesis was on supervised release but did not show up to court. He fled to Connecticut, where police arrested him in August after a three-hour standoff. Genesis was brought back to New York City and now faces grand larceny and fraud charges for the real estate scheme, plus a bail jumping charge for running away.