Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of NICHOLAS FUELLING, 44, for stealing approximately $50,000 from at least seventeen individuals by purportedly advertising a Hell’s Kitchen apartment for rent in August 2025. FUELLING pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to the Court’s offer of one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, the top count of the indictment. FUELLING also pleaded guilty to one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. Under the terms of his plea, FUELLING is expected to be sentenced on December 4, 2026, to a promised term of 6 months jail, 5 years of probation, mandatory gambling addiction treatment and approximately $50,000 in restitution.

“Nicholas Fuelling used the housing crisis to his advantage by preying on hopeful renters who were looking for stable housing. With today’s guilty plea, he is being held accountable for his pernicious conduct,” said District Attorney Bragg. “New Yorkers deserve to find housing in Manhattan without having to worry about being scammed. If you are a victim of a rental scam, please call 212-335-3300 or email us at Danyhousing@dany.nyc.gov.”

According to court documents and statements made on the record, and as admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, in August 2025, FUELLING advertised on Facebook Marketplace a sublease of a midtown Manhattan apartment where he had rented one of the two bedrooms since 2022.

Although FUELLING only rented one of the bedrooms, he advertised both bedrooms in the apartment for sublease without approval from the building’s landlord.

During August 2025, at least seventeen individuals signed sublease agreements with FUELLING for the same apartment. Many of these individuals paid FUELLING approximately $3,200 each to sublet one of the bedrooms in the apartment. At least one individual paid FUELLING $6,400 to sublet both bedrooms in the apartment.

All of the individuals expected to move into the apartment by September 1, 2025 for time periods that spanned from six months to one year. None of the individuals were able to move into the apartment, some individuals were left effectively homeless. FUELLING did not return any of the approximately $50,000 he received from the prospective subletters. When they continued to reach out to the defendant seeking the refunds he promised them in each sublease agreement he stopped responding. FUELLING continued this scheme even after permanently moving out of New York State on August 17, 2025.

Assistant D.A. Alexander Phillips (Housing and Tenant Protection Unit) is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Chikaelo Ibeabuchi (Chief of the Housing and Tenant Protection Unit), Kelly Thomas (Deputy Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau) Hope Korenstein (Deputy Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Kofi Sansculotte (Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division).

The following members of the D.A.’s Office provided valuable assistance during the investigation: The Financial Frauds Bureau’s Brianna Vaca (DANY Analyst), Yealie Ulaba-Samura (Paralegal), Victoria Grevenberg (Housing Coordinator), Sofia Albi (HTPU Analyst), and Assistant D.A. Jonathan Borle. 

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective Yousef Demes and Police Officer Denise Garcia Torres of the Midtown North Precinct Detective Squad, and Detective Tamarah Pinckney of the Midtown South Detective Squad.

Defendant Information:

NICHOLAS FUELLING

Fair Oaks, CA

Convicted:

•  Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
•  Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E Felony, one count

###