3 alleged fraudsters charged with bilking $1.1M in NYC rental assistance funds

Three people have been charged over an alleged scheme that diverted about $1.1 million from New York City’s One Shot Deal rental assistance programme. Prosecutors say the money, intended to help low-income residents facing unexpected hardship, was obtained through applications using tenants’ identities and sent to accounts falsely presented as landlords’.

The complaint alleges Erica Williams led the scheme from 2021 to 2025 with Kareem Canty and Tajizhanae Whitaker. Of 170 applications prosecutors describe as fraudulent, 94 were approved; the three were arrested on Wednesday and face charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years if convicted. Williams and Canty were released on $50,000 bond each, while Whitaker remained in custody in Georgia.