news.yahoo.com Open in urlscan Pro
2001:4998:14:800::1000  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

Name: ybar_mod_searchbox_s — GET https://search.yahoo.com/search

<form class="_yb_7kk88 _yb_3mbhq _yb_5y5yv ybar-enable-search-ui _yb_1gs2n ybar-voice-search _yb_bn8aj _yb_1w3vl" method="get" name="ybar_mod_searchbox_s" id="ybar-sf" role="search" action="https://search.yahoo.com/search" accept-charset="utf-8"
  data-appid="news" data-pubid="" novalidate="" data-sacrumb="7fp7ZM9Dlf3" data-sabcrumb="LcEaqBAq/nq" data-sabase="https://search.yahoo.com/sugg/gossip/gossip-us-ura/" data-fastbreak="https://search.yahoo.com/sugg/gossip/gossip-us-fastbreak/"
  data-saenabled="true" data-saversion="1" data-textshown="new suggestions shown" data-textclosed="Suggestion box closed"> <label for="ybar-sbq" class="_yb_1rwq3">Search query</label> <input type="text" class="_yb_7ywex  _yb_1xipm  " id="ybar-sbq"
    name="p" style="" value="" autocomplete="off" required="" data-ylk="sec:ybar;slk:websrch;subsec:searchbox;elm:search;elmt:input;itc:0;" placeholder="Search the web" autofocus="" aria-controls="_yb_1d8ox" role="combobox" aria-autocomplete="both"
    aria-expanded="false" data-rapid_p="245" data-v9y="1">
  <div class="_yb_111e0">
    <div class="_yb_6g5el _yb_6p3vk"></div>
  </div>
  <div class="_yb_1x9k0 _yb_yjckc"><button id="ybar-sbq-x" type="button" aria-label="Clear Search" class="_yb_ejgrp _yb_1tzab _yb_hrwoa " data-ylk="sec:yb_search;subsec:assist;slk:clear;itc:1;" data-rapid_p="246" data-v9y="0"> <span
        class="_yb_1aqnq"><svg width="16" height="16" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" transform="translate(0 4)">
          <path d="M8 7.059 4.468 3.527a.667.667 0 0 0-.941.941L7.058 8l-3.531 3.531a.667.667 0 0 0 .94.942L8 8.94l3.532 3.532a.666.666 0 0 0 .94-.942L8.941 8l3.531-3.532a.666.666 0 0 0-.94-.941L8 7.059z" fill="#232A31"></path>
        </svg></span> </button><button id="ybar-sbq-voice" type="button" aria-label="Search with voice" class="_yb_ejgrp _yb_72tsu _yb_hrwoa" data-ylk="sec:ybar;slk:websrch;subsec:searchbox;elm:search;elmt:voice;itc:0;" data-fr="uh3_news_web"
      data-fr2="p:news,m:voice-search,v:artcl" data-.tsrc="uh3_news_web" data-rapid_p="247" data-v9y="1" style="visibility: visible; display: block;"><span class="_yb_1dujx"> <svg class="_yb_1tguj" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16"
          fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
          <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd"
            d="M7.99992 0.333252C6.71125 0.333252 5.66659 1.37792 5.66659 2.66659V7.66659C5.66659 8.95525 6.71125 9.99992 7.99992 9.99992C9.28859 9.99992 10.3333 8.95525 10.3333 7.66659V2.66659C10.3333 1.37792 9.28859 0.333252 7.99992 0.333252ZM10.6666 14.3333C11.0346 14.3333 11.3333 14.6319 11.3333 14.9999C11.3333 15.3679 11.0346 15.6666 10.6666 15.6666H5.33325C4.96525 15.6666 4.66659 15.3679 4.66659 14.9999C4.66659 14.6319 4.96525 14.3333 5.33325 14.3333H10.6666ZM2.33325 7.33325C2.33325 10.4629 4.87025 12.9999 7.99992 12.9999C11.1296 12.9999 13.6666 10.4629 13.6666 7.33325V6.66658C13.6666 6.29858 13.3679 5.99992 12.9999 5.99992C12.6319 5.99992 12.3333 6.29858 12.3333 6.66658V7.33325C12.3333 9.72659 10.3933 11.6666 7.99992 11.6666C5.60659 11.6666 3.66659 9.72659 3.66659 7.33325V6.66658C3.66659 6.29858 3.36792 5.99992 2.99992 5.99992C2.63192 5.99992 2.33325 6.29858 2.33325 6.66658V7.33325Z"
            fill="#232A31"></path>
        </svg><svg class="_yb_1xcbo" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
          <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd"
            d="M7.99992 0.333252C6.71125 0.333252 5.66659 1.37792 5.66659 2.66659V7.66659C5.66659 8.95525 6.71125 9.99992 7.99992 9.99992C9.28859 9.99992 10.3333 8.95525 10.3333 7.66659V2.66659C10.3333 1.37792 9.28859 0.333252 7.99992 0.333252ZM10.6666 14.3333C11.0346 14.3333 11.3333 14.6319 11.3333 14.9999C11.3333 15.3679 11.0346 15.6666 10.6666 15.6666H5.33325C4.96525 15.6666 4.66659 15.3679 4.66659 14.9999C4.66659 14.6319 4.96525 14.3333 5.33325 14.3333H10.6666ZM2.33325 7.33325C2.33325 10.4629 4.87025 12.9999 7.99992 12.9999C11.1296 12.9999 13.6666 10.4629 13.6666 7.33325V6.66658C13.6666 6.29858 13.3679 5.99992 12.9999 5.99992C12.6319 5.99992 12.3333 6.29858 12.3333 6.66658V7.33325C12.3333 9.72659 10.3933 11.6666 7.99992 11.6666C5.60659 11.6666 3.66659 9.72659 3.66659 7.33325V6.66658C3.66659 6.29858 3.36792 5.99992 2.99992 5.99992C2.63192 5.99992 2.33325 6.29858 2.33325 6.66658V7.33325Z"
            fill="#232A31"></path>
        </svg> </span></button> </div>
  <div class="_yb_16y7o"> <svg width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="_yb_1r6kg">
      <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd"
        d="M10.7969 9.85558L15.0843 14.1335C15.4129 14.4622 15.4321 14.8607 15.1147 15.1593C14.7973 15.4578 14.3024 15.252 14.0344 14.9841L9.87588 10.8258C8.5431 11.7616 7.36481 12.0175 6.46724 12.0664C5.34703 12.1275 3.75437 11.7019 2.47647 10.5438C0.341582 8.6092 -0.137246 4.86327 2.31182 2.35874C3.35367 1.2933 4.87096 0.666626 6.35815 0.666626C7.84533 0.666626 9.23776 1.19682 10.4553 2.40305C12.2172 4.1487 12.6062 7.45564 10.7969 9.85558ZM3.26222 9.40026C4.09374 10.2115 5.16285 10.6666 6.33094 10.6666C7.47924 10.6666 8.58794 10.2313 9.39966 9.40026C10.2114 8.56921 10.6667 7.50072 10.6667 6.33329C10.6667 5.16586 10.2312 4.07758 9.39966 3.26632C8.56814 2.45506 7.49903 1.99996 6.33094 1.99996C5.16285 1.99996 4.07394 2.45506 3.26222 3.26632C1.57937 4.968 1.57937 7.71838 3.26222 9.40026Z"
        fill="#6E7780"></path>
    </svg> </div>
  <div class="_yb_16y7o _yb_c0ync"><button type="submit" id="ybar-search" class="rapid-noclick-resp _yb_z2gc4 " aria-label="Search" value="Search" data-ylk="slk:websrch;elm:search;elmt:icon;sec:ybar;subsec:searchbox;itc:0;tar:search.yahoo.com;"
      data-rapid_p="248" data-v9y="1"><svg width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="_yb_10z1u">
        <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd"
          d="M11.1171 9.5107L15.0655 13.3934C15.2415 13.5578 15.3369 13.8096 15.3333 14.0662C15.3285 14.4057 15.17 14.7558 14.9889 14.9434C14.6951 15.2478 14.2575 15.366 14.0395 15.3333C13.8215 15.3007 13.5531 15.1978 13.3658 15.0142L9.47317 11.1404C8.18624 11.9067 7.53573 11.9664 6.79607 12.0343C6.68905 12.0441 6.58016 12.0541 6.4672 12.0665C5.53163 12.1686 3.75434 11.7019 2.47645 10.5439C0.341584 8.60926 -0.13724 4.86336 2.31181 2.35885C3.35365 1.29341 4.87093 0.666748 6.35811 0.666748C7.84528 0.666748 9.2377 1.19694 10.4552 2.40316C12.2172 4.1488 12.6491 7.28044 11.1171 9.5107ZM3.85283 8.81058C4.52445 9.46583 5.38795 9.83342 6.33142 9.83342C7.25889 9.83342 8.15437 9.48182 8.81 8.81058C9.46562 8.13935 9.83342 7.27634 9.83342 6.33341C9.83342 5.39049 9.48162 4.5115 8.81 3.85625C8.13838 3.20099 7.27488 2.83341 6.33142 2.83341C5.38795 2.83341 4.50846 3.20099 3.85283 3.85625C2.49361 5.23067 2.49361 7.45214 3.85283 8.81058Z"
          fill="#fff"></path>
      </svg></button></div> <input type="hidden" name="fr" value="uh3_news_web" data-rapid_p="249" data-v9y="0"> <input type="hidden" name="fr2" value="p:news,m:sb,v:artcl" data-savalue="p:news,m:sa,v:artcl" data-modalsb="p:news,m:sb,v:modal"
    data-modalsa="p:news,m:sa,v:modal" data-rapid_p="250" data-v9y="0"> <input type="hidden" name=".tsrc" value="uh3_news_web" data-savalue="uh3_news_web" data-rapid_p="251" data-v9y="0">
</form>

Text Content

NEWS


 * Today's news
 * US
 * Politics
 * World
 * Tech
   
   * 
   * Tech
   * Reviews and Deals
   * Audio
   * Computing
   * Gaming
   * Health
   * Home
   * Phones
   * Science
   * TVs
 * Weather
 * Climate change
 * Health
 * Science
 * 2024 Election
 * Originals
   
   * 
   * Originals
   * The 360

FINANCE


 * My portfolio
   
   * 
   * My portfolio
   * My watchlist
 * News
   
   * 
   * News
   * Stock market
   * Economic
   * Earnings
   * Crypto
   * Politics
   * Biden economy
   * Personal finance
 * Markets
   
   * 
   * Markets
   * Stocks: most actives
   * Stocks: gainers
   * Stocks: losers
   * Trending tickers
   * Futures
   * World indices
   * US Treasury bonds
   * Currencies
   * Crypto
   * Top ETFs
   * Top mutual funds
   * Highest open interest
   * Highest implied volatility
   * Currency converter
 * Sectors
   
   * 
   * Sectors
   * Basic materials
   * Communication services
   * Consumer cyclical
   * Consumer defensive
   * Energy
   * Financial services
   * Healthcare
   * Industrials
   * Real estate
   * Technology
   * Utilities
 * Screeners
   
   * 
   * Screeners
   * Watchlists
   * Equities
   * ETFs
   * Futures
   * Index
   * Mutual funds
   * Analyst rating screener
   * Technical events screener
   * Smart money screener
   * Top holdings screener
 * Personal finance
   
   * 
   * Personal finance
   * Credit card rates
   * Balance transfer credit cards
   * Business credit cards
   * Cash back credit cards
   * Rewards credit cards
   * Travel credit cards
   * CD rates
   * Checking accounts
   * Online checking accounts
   * High-yield savings accounts
   * Money market accounts
   * Personal loans
   * Student loans
   * Car insurance
   * Home buying
   * Taxes
 * Videos
   
   * 
   * Videos
   * ETF report
   * FA corner
   * Options pit
 * Finance Plus
   
   * 
   * Finance Plus
   * Community
   * Investment ideas
   * Research reports
   * Webinars
 * Crypto
 * Industries

SPORTS


 * Fantasy
   
   * 
   * Fantasy
   * News
   * Fantasy football
   * Best Ball
   * Pro Pick 'Em
   * College Pick 'Em
   * Fantasy baseball
   * Fantasy hockey
   * Fantasy basketball
   * Download the app
 * Daily Fantasy
 * NFL
   
   * 
   * NFL
   * News
   * Scores and schedules
   * Standings
   * Stats
   * Teams
   * Players
   * Drafts
   * Injuries
   * Odds
   * Super Bowl
   * GameChannel
   * Video
 * MLB
   
   * 
   * MLB
   * News
   * Scores and schedules
   * Standings
   * Stats
   * Teams
   * Players
   * Odds
   * Video
   * World Baseball Classic
 * NBA
   
   * 
   * NBA
   * News
   * Drafts
   * Scores and schedules
   * Standings
   * Stats
   * Teams
   * Players
   * Injuries
   * Video
   * Odds
   * Playoffs
 * NHL
   
   * 
   * NHL
   * News
   * Scores and schedules
   * Standings
   * Stats
   * Teams
   * Players
   * Odds
   * Playoffs
 * Soccer
   
   * 
   * Soccer
   * News
   * Scores and schedules
   * Premier League
   * MLS
   * NWSL
   * Liga MX
   * CONCACAF League
   * Champions League
   * La Liga
   * Serie A
   * Bundesliga
   * Ligue 1
   * World Cup
 * College football
   
   * 
   * College football
   * News
   * Scores and schedules
   * Standings
   * Rankings
   * Stats
   * Teams
 * Show all
   
   * 
   * MMA
   * WNBA
   * Sportsbook
   * NCAAF
   * Tennis
   * Golf
   * NASCAR
   * NCAAB
   * NCAAW
   * Boxing
   * USFL
   * Cycling
   * Indycar
   * Olympics
   * Horse racing
   * GameChannel
   * Rivals
   * Newsletters
   * Podcasts
   * Videos
   * RSS
   * Jobs
   * Help
   * World Cup
   * More news

ENTERTAINMENT


 * Celebrity
 * TV
 * Movies
 * Music
 * How To Watch
 * Interviews
 * Videos
 * Shopping

LIFE


 * Health
   
   * 
   * Health
   * COVID-19
   * Fall allergies
   * Health news
   * Mental health
   * Relax
   * Sexual health
   * Studies
   * The Unwind
 * Parenting
   
   * 
   * Parenting
   * Family health
   * So mini ways
 * Style and beauty
   
   * 
   * Style and beauty
   * It Figures
   * Unapologetically
 * Horoscopes
 * Shopping
   
   * 
   * Shopping
   * Buying guides
 * Food
 * Travel
 * Autos

NEW ON YAHOO


 * Games
 * Tech

 * Terms
 * Privacy
 * Privacy Dashboard
 * Feedback

© 2024 All rights reserved.
About our ads Advertising Careers
Yahoo News
Search query





 * News
 * Finance
 * Sports
 * More
    * News
      * Today's news
      * US
      * Politics
      * World
      * Weather
      * Climate change
      * Health
      * Science
      * 2024 Election
      * Originals
    * Life
      * Health
      * Parenting
      * Style and beauty
      * Horoscopes
      * Shopping
      * Food
      * Travel
      * Autos
    * Entertainment
      * Celebrity
      * TV
      * Movies
      * Music
      * How to Watch
      * Interviews
      * Videos
      * Shopping
    * Finance
      * My portfolio
      * Watchlists
      * Markets
      * News
      * Videos
      * Yahoo Finance Plus
      * Screeners
      * Personal finance
      * Crypto
      * Industries
    * Sports
      * Fantasy
      * NFL
      * NBA
      * MLB
      * NHL
      * College football
      * College basketball
      * Soccer
      * MMA
      * Yahoo Sports AM
    * New on Yahoo
      * Games
      * Tech
    * Selected edition
      USEnglish
      Select an edition
       * USEnglish
       * US y LATAMEspañol
       * AustraliaEnglish
       * CanadaEnglish
       * CanadaFrançais
       * DeutschlandDeutsch
       * FranceFrançais
       * 香港繁中
       * MalaysiaEnglish
       * SingaporeEnglish
       * 台灣繁中
       * UKEnglish

Mail
Sign in



Close this content

Associated Press


A LOOPHOLE GOT HIM A FREE NEW YORK HOTEL STAY FOR FIVE YEARS. THEN HE CLAIMED TO
OWN THE BUILDING

CEDAR ATTANASIO
Updated Fri, February 16, 2024 at 10:26 AM EST·4 min read
734
Link Copied
Read full article
FILE - The New Yorker Hotel, center, is seen in New York, Nov. 8, 2013. A man
who succeeded in using a New York City housing law to live rent-free in the
iconic hotel has been charged with fraud after he claimed to own it. (AP
Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — For five years, a New York City man managed to live rent-free in
a landmark Manhattan hotel by exploiting an obscure local housing law.

But prosecutors this week said Mickey Barreto went too far when he filed
paperwork claiming ownership of the entire New Yorker Hotel building — and tried
to charge another tenant rent.

On Wednesday, he was arrested and charged with filing false property records.
But Barreto, 48, says he was surprised when police showed up at his boyfriend's
apartment with guns and bulletproof shields. As far as he is concerned, it
should be a civil case, not a criminal one.



“I said, ‘Oh, I thought you were doing something for Valentine’s Day to spice up
the relationship until I saw the female officers,’” Barreto recalled telling his
boyfriend.

Barreto's indictment on fraud and criminal contempt charges is just the latest
chapter in the yearslong legal saga that began when he and his boyfriend paid
about $200 to rent one of the more than 1,000 rooms in the towering Art Deco
structure built in 1930.

Barreto says he had just moved to New York from Los Angeles when his boyfriend
told him about a loophole that allows occupants of single rooms in buildings
constructed before 1969 to demand a six-month lease. Barreto claimed that
because he'd paid for a night in the hotel, he counted as a tenant.

He asked for a lease and the hotel promptly kicked him out.

“So I went to court the next day. The judge denied. I appealed to the (state)
Supreme Court and I won the appeal,” Barreto said, adding that at a crucial
point in the case, lawyers for the building's owners didn't show up, allowing
him to win by default.

The judge ordered the hotel to give Barreto a key. He said he lived there until
July 2023 without paying any rent because the building's owners never wanted to
negotiate a lease with him, but they couldn't kick him out.

Manhattan prosecutors acknowledge that the housing court gave Barreto
“possession” of his room. But they say he didn't stop there: In 2019, he
uploaded a fake deed to a city website, purporting to transfer ownership of the
entire building to himself from the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification
of World Christianity, which bought the property in 1976. The church was founded
in South Korea by a self-proclaimed messiah, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Barreto then tried to charge various entities as the owner of the building
“including demanding rent from one of the hotel’s tenants, registering the hotel
under his name with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection for
water and sewage payments, and demanding the hotel’s bank transfer its accounts
to him,” the prosecutor’s office said in the statement.

“As alleged, Mickey Barreto repeatedly and fraudulently claimed ownership of one
of the City’s most iconic landmarks, the New Yorker Hotel,” said Manhattan
District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Located a block from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, the New Yorker has
never been among the city's most glamorous hotels, but it has long been among
its largest. Its huge, red “New Yorker” sign makes it an oft-photographed
landmark. Inventor Nikola Tesla lived at the hotel for for a decade. NBC
broadcasted from the hotel’s Terrace Room. Boxers, including Muhammad Ali,
stayed there when they had bouts at the Garden. It closed as a hotel in 1972 and
was used for years for church purposes before part of the building reopened as a
hotel in 1994.

The Unification Church sued Barreto in 2019 over the deed claim, including his
representations on LinkedIn as the building's owner. The case is ongoing, but a
judge ruled that Barreto can't portray himself as the owner in the meantime.

A Unification Church spokesperson declined to comment about his arrest, citing
the ongoing civil case.

In that case, Barreto argued that the judge who gave him “possession” of his
room indirectly gave him the entire building because it had never been
subdivided.

“I never intended to commit any fraud. I don’t believe I ever committed any
fraud,” Barreto said. “And I never made a penny out of this.”

Barreto said his legal wrangling is activism aimed at denying profits to the
Unification Church. The church, known for conducting mass weddings, has been
sued over its recruiting methods and criticized by some over its friendly
relationship with North Korea, where Moon was born.

He said he has never hired a lawyer for the civil cases and has always
represented himself. On Wednesday, he secured a criminal defense attorney.

View comments (734)






 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   
 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   
 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   
 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   
 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   
 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   
 * Up next
   
   
   
   
   



Display Advertisement


Waiting for permission
Allow microphone access to enable voice search

Try again.

Try saying