The former property manager of an apartment complex in Malden, Massachusetts, scammed 17 prospective tenants out of thousands of dollars by taking deposits for apartments he never rented, officials said Friday.
Kenneth Riel was arrested on larceny and corporate bookkeeping fraud charges, which he faced in Malden District Court Thursday, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Malden police. The 50-year-old from Winthrop, accused of stealing more than $35,000, was ordered held on $10,000 bail.
"In this case the defendant allegedly took advantage of victims, many of whom were non-English speaking immigrants, seeking housing," District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. "Using his position he allegedly took the victims' money for his own personal use, stealing not only their money but their opportunity to rent an apartment they had been led to believe they had secured."
Riel is accused of taking down payments and security deposits from people who thought the payments would get them an apartment, but prosecutors said he re-routed the money to himself or family members — in one case accepting a payment directly through the money transfer service Zelle.
Riel would allegedly make excuses to the would-be renters when they didn't get their keys, including by saying an apartment inspection was pushed back months.
Hired in fall 2023, Riel was terminated after apartment applicants went to the complex themselves looking for their keys or more information on when they could move in, prosecutors said, and his replacement directed victims to police.
It wasn't immediately clear if Riel had an attorney who could speak to the charges. He's due back in court Jan. 17.
