A Gravesend woman has been indicted for allegedly running a fraudulent rental scheme that scammed prospective tenants out of $15,800, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Monday.
The DA said Svetlana Katzevman, 62, was arraigned on Dec. 16 in Brooklyn Supreme Court, where she was officially charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud.
“This defendant is accused of exploiting the trust and vulnerability of her neighbors, many of whom are newly arrived immigrants seeking stability in a new country. Her alleged actions not only caused financial harm but also betrayed individuals already navigating immense challenges,” Gonzalez said. “We are determined to hold her accountable and remind prospective tenants to safeguard themselves by insisting that landlords provide a written lease and avoiding cash payments in rental transactions.”
Gonzalez’s office alleges that between January 2022 and July 2024, Katzevman advertised a rental apartment at 1800 Ocean Parkway in the Russian-language newspaper Russkaya Reklama. Victims reportedly paid her security deposits and rent, ranging from $700 to $2,300, believing they would be able to move into the apartment. Instead, Katzevman allegedly changed the locks or otherwise barred access to the unit and refused to return the money.
According to prosecutors, Katzevman collected approximately $15,800 from 12 victims, all of whom were Russian-speaking individuals living or working in Brooklyn. Several of the victims were recently arrived immigrants from Ukraine, whom Katzevman allegedly assured she was giving discounted rent because of their shared Ukrainian heritage.
Katzevman allegedly insisted on cash payments and did not provide leases to her victims. In one instance, she accepted a $700 deposit on Nov. 13, 2023, from a 38-year-old man and another $700 from him two days later for the first month’s rent. That same day, she allegedly collected $700 from a 60-year-old man for a deposit and another $700 three days later for rent.
In another example, Katzevman allegedly took a $1,600 cash deposit from a 40-year-old man on April 13, 2024, and $2,300 from a 65-year-old woman four days later. Both believed they were securing the apartment, but they found the door locked and their calls unanswered.
Katzevman reportedly resides in the apartment she was attempting to rent. At the Dec. 16 hearing before Justice Adam Perlmutter, Katzevman was released without bail and ordered to return to court on Jan. 29, 2025.
Authorities urge prospective tenants to insist on written leases and avoid cash payments to protect themselves from similar scams.
