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Con Artist Poses as Repairman to Scam Small Businesses, Police Say

 The Blind Tiger, at 281 Bleecker St., is one of the businesses Nino Montano conned, police said.
The Blind Tiger, at 281 Bleecker St., is one of the businesses Nino Montano conned, police said.
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DNAinfo/Danielle Tcholakian

GREENWICH VILLAGE — A con artist who posed as a repairman to scam businesses was caught this week after stealing thousands of dollars, the NYPD said.

Nino Montano, 57, convinced proprietors of several Village businesses to write him checks for repair work, but then he made off with the money and never returned, police said. 

Montano fooled an employee at Salon@10, a hair salon at 827 Tenth Ave. in January, police said, claiming he had to inspect the water and gas utilities. He wrote out an order form stating repairs were needed, and demanded the employee write him a $1,250 check before he would start making the repairs.

Montano left with the check and never returned, police said.

In February, Montano told a 53-year-old employee at MessLook II, a hair salon and spa at 429 Broome St., that he was an electrician hired by the building and needed to make repairs that would cost $2,313, police said.

Police said Montano told the victim the business would be reimbursed by Con Edison, but he needed to be paid right away. Montano again left with a check and never returned, police said.

Police later used surveillance footage from MessLook to identify Montano, along with footage from the third business he hit, the Blind Tiger at 281 Bleecker St.

Montano strolled into the bar at about 1 p.m. on March 10 and told an employee that the manager had called him to come fix the ice machine, police said.

Police said Montano pretended to fix the machine and got the employee to write him a check for $310.

But the manager told police she never called Montano or asked him to fix the machine. The machine was in perfect condition before Montano touched it, police said.

Montano was arrested at the 6th Precinct on Monday after police showed him surveillance video stills from MessLook and the Blind Tiger, police said.

He was arraigned on Oct. 28 on charges of grand larceny and petit larceny.

A judge set his bail at $10,000 cash, $15,000 bond. Montano is being held in jail at Rikers Island and is due back in court on Friday.