JACKSON HEIGHTS — A Queens woman posing a real estate agent to scam more than two-dozen prospective tenants out of more than $94,000 will be forced to pay back her victims, prosecutors said.
Rosita Tinoco — who also went by the names including Rosita Tsiklauri, Rosie Villegas, Rosy Villegas and Rosy Tinoco — was arrested last year at John F. Kennedy Airport after returning from Ukraine, officials said.
At the time, the Queens DA's office knew of only 19 tenants who she scammed out of more than $76,000 in broker's fees and security deposits between November 2014 and October 2015.
She stole the money by showing the same apartment to various would-be tenants before asking for fees for the lease and deposits, the DA said.
After taking their cash deposits, Tinoco would then tell them the apartment was no longer available while pocketing between $500 and $8,000 per victim.
After she was arrested, at least nine more victims came forward, bringing the total swindle to $94,770, the DA said.
Tinoco pleaded guilty to grand larceny in March and agreed to pay back nearly all of the money she stole from tenants, according to a confession of judgment filed in Queens Supreme Court in May.
It's not clear what the timeline will be for payment.
Her lawyer, Heriberto Cabrera, could not be reached for comment.
