BROOKLYN — A man posed as the owner of a Crown Heights storefront and took $45,000 from a 40-year-old man who sought to buy the property, police said.
More than a year after the January 2016 incident, detectives have identified Jamal Gantt, 41, and are seeking the public’s help in finding him, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
Gantt met the victim in front of 829 Gates Ave. near Stuyvesant Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant around 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2016, according to officials.
The two discussed the purchase of a storefront at 820 Franklin Ave. in Crown Heights, which is now the Franklin820 bar, formerly known as Crow Bar.
During the exchange, Gantt pretended to be the owner and operator of the location, police said.
The victim paid $45,000 for the property, splitting the amount in cash and a check, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
The building at 820 Franklin Ave. last changed hands in 2015, when 1045 Union Associates LLC took over the deed, according to city records.
Police released a photo of Gantt on Wednesday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips online.
