“Food delivery workers trusted Mauricio Sevilla to invest their hard-earned money into a new food delivery company, only to learn that their money was stolen and the company was never created,” said District Attorney Bragg. “With today’s guilty plea, these New Yorkers will get their hard-earned money back. If you have been scammed, please call our Financial Frauds Bureau at 212-335-8900.”

“Alan Burak now faces significant prison time for his elaborate, fraudulent scheme. He defrauded twelve individuals out of millions of dollars, including loved ones who trusted him for financial advice,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I hope this conviction sends a message that those who steal hard earned money will be held accountable.”

“New Yorkers were building their businesses as food vendors when Mohamed Orabi allegedly took advantage of their limited knowledge of local regulations to scam them out of thousands of dollars,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This is an ongoing investigation – if you have been scammed, please call our office’s Immigration Affairs Unit hotline at 212-335-3600 or via WhatsApp at 347-371-0877. Interpreters are available to assist non-native English speakers, and we encourage all to reach out regardless of immigration status.”

“Access to affordable housing in Manhattan is scarce. These defendants scammed the system to illegally increase the prices of affordable apartments that were meant for income-qualified tenants,” said District Attorney Bragg. “These individuals are now facing accountability for their corrupt acts as developers, including paying restitution and creating new affordable units. We will continue to zero in on bad actors who scam New Yorkers looking for accessible housing or defraud the systems meant to help them.”