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Security Guard Posing as Events Booker Scammed Man Out of $4K, Police Say

By Dartunorro Clark | March 17, 2017 8:40am
 Mohamed Yahaya used his position as a security guard to swindle several people out of thousands of dollars, officials said.
Mohamed Yahaya used his position as a security guard to swindle several people out of thousands of dollars, officials said.
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DNAinfo/Dartunorro Clark

EAST HARLEM — A housing complex security guard who masqueraded as an events booker and swindled several people out of thousands of dollars, has claimed another victim, police said.

Mohamed Yahaya, 38, worked security for Taino Towers, at 240 East 123rd Street, in East Harlem, and would book the building’s ballroom out to unsuspecting patrons by creating fake contracts and false promises, DNAinfo New York previously reported.

However, another victim recently came forward claiming he was scammed, too.

A 45-year-old man filed a report with the 25th Precinct on March 8th claiming Yahaya booked the space for him on March 10, 2016 for $4,000 only to find out a year later he’d been duped, police said.

The victim, however, recently ran into Yahaya and confronted him about the money. He told police that Yahaya then gave him a $4,000 check that then bounced.

Last year, Yahaya was arrested and charged with multiple grand larceny charges for creating fraudulent contracts totaling more than $11,000 according to prosecutors.

Yahaya was then released on his own recognizance pending trial for the prior grand larceny charges last year, according to court records.

New charges have yet to be added.

A lawyer for Yahaya could not be reached for comment.