A West Hempstead woman and a Lakeview man have been charged in connection with fraudulent residential rental scams in West Hempstead, East Meadow and Hicksville, Nassau County police said.
Police said Aurelia Soogea, 39, of West Hempstead, and William Fickbohm, 71, of Lakeview, were responsible for multiple rental scams. Investigators said Soogea was also responsible for an additional scam in Hicksville.
The investigation began after a 49-year-old woman reported arranging to rent a home on Meadowbrook Road in Hempstead from a man and woman.
Police said the victim met the pair in person and gave them $7,000 for the first month’s rent and a security deposit on July 17.
When she returned to the home the next day to collect paperwork, she encountered the actual homeowner, a 42-year-old man who told her he had never rented the property to anyone, according to police. The homeowner also discovered that a lockbox outside the house had been damaged and the key inside was missing.
Detectives arrested Soogea on Aug. 19 in West Hempstead. Police said she provided investigators with a fraudulent New York State driver’s license during the investigation.
Fickbohm was later arrested in connection with the case and was arraigned Aug. 27 in First District Court in Hempstead.
Police said Soogea and Fickbohm face multiple counts of second-degree burglary, grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud. Police also listed possession of a forged instrument among the charges connected to the investigation.
Soogea was arraigned again Sept. 6 in First District Court in Hempstead, according to police.
The investigation remains ongoing. Detectives are asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar rental scam to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or the Third Squad at 516-573-6353. Callers can remain anonymous.
Photos: NCPD
