NYC officials: Suspects attempted to collect cash with fraudulent pest violation notices
A New York City man might be saying "rats" to himself after being charged Thursday with attempting an intricate scheme that involved sending thousands of people false vermin violation notices and trying to collect fraudulent fines from them.
Myong Hwan Han, 31, also known as David Han, and an unnamed accomplice sent out about 10,000 notices from April to September to people who own properties in the Bronx and Manhattan, told them they were guilty of vermin violations and demanded $120 each from them, according to a deposition by postal inspector Kathryn Searles. The victims were told if they did not forward checks or money orders right away, they could face property liens and be called into court, according to Searles.
Han, of Queens, faces federal charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, according to a federal deposition.
Victims mailed checks and money orders to a fake entity created by Han and his partner that involved compelling the victims to send their funds to what they thought was the office of Vermin Control of New York but was actually a print shop, according to the deposition.
Notices included a logo from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene but the name on the notices was not the name of the actual NYC health commissioner.
With the alleged scam underway, Han, on or about Sept. 15, showed up to a post office in Queens, showed what appeared to be incorporation documents for Vermin Control of New York and asked for any mail addressed to that entity, according to the deposition. The print shop had closed and Han and his partner hoped to pick up the funds at the post office, according to the deposition.
About 100 victims mailed in $120 to the fraudulent government address. About 800 of the mailings were deemed not deliverable.
Rats are a part of the fabric of New York City. A documentary in recent years featured an exterminator saying that New York is waging an unwinnable battle against rats. Last year, a video of a rat carrying a slice of pizza down some subway stairs went viral. In 2014, scientists estimated there are 2 million rats in New York City, about one-fourth the number of human residents.