Father and Son Charged in Long Beach Rental Scam

A father and son were arrested and charged with duping a family out of more than $3,100 by taking rent money on a Long Beach home that did not belong to them, authorities said.

The suspects, identified as Ezekiel Ramasir, 57, and his son, Elviston, 27, both of Manorville, are accused of placing ads on Craig's List for the rental of a house at 64 East Hudson St. in Long Beach, even though they did not own it, according to the Nassau County Police Department's Crimes Against Property (CAP) Squad.

When showing the house, the duo allegedly posed at various times as a real estate agent, a landlord and construction worker to deceive the victims, a mother and her daughter-in law, who handed over $3,133 covering the first and last month's rent and a security deposit, CAP Squad detectives said.

The suspects advertised the property on Craig's List in early June and the victims responded to the ad and viewed the property on June 16, said Detective Sgt. Dennis Ude of the CAP Squad.

"They [the victims] took a ride down to the property and they agreed it was suitable for their needs," said Ude. "They then agreed to rent it from the person who purported to be the owner."

During the alleged scam, the son posed as the real estate agent and introduced his father as the owner of the property, Ude said.

The victims then signed a lease agreement for a period of one year beginning on July 1, the sergeant said. The victims made a total of three immediate payments: two money orders for $500 each and a check for $2,133, he said.

At the time the property was being viewed by the victims, it was under renovation, Ude said.

After they waited for the check to clear, the suspects stopped answering phone calls, text messages and e-mails from the victims. The victims were never allowed to move in, nor were they reimbursed their money, police said.

"The victims went by a number of times in an effort to move in, but they were unable to," said Ude.

He added that the victims filed a complaint with the Nassau County District Attorney, who contacted the CAP Squad to investigate.

"We don't see this kind of scam all that often, fortunately for residents of Nassau County," said Ude, adding that the suspects are real estate agents in Nassau County. "They are familiar with the real estate market and real estate and they knew the property was vacant. The victims did their due diligence. They believed they had a legitimate lease that they signed and it all looked like a legitimate business transaction to them."

Elviston was identified as a suspect and was arrested at his Suffolk County home on Nov. 5, and his father surrendered on Tuesday morning upon the advice of his attorney, Ude said.

The suspects were each charged with third-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud. Additionally, Elviston was charged with third-degree grand larceny and second-degree forgery for allegedly presenting fraudulent checks of more than $33,000 to his landlord for office space he rented in East Meadow, detectives said.

According to DA spokesman Chris Munzing, a bond of $3,000 or $1,500 cash bail was posted for Ezekiel, and $15,000 or $7,000 for Elviston, who are due back in court on Dec. 3.

The suspects' attorney, James Pascarella, could not be reached for comment.

CAP Squad detectives are investigating if the suspects in similar scams may have victimized anyone else. Anyone who may have been a victim is urged to call the CAP Squad at (516) 573-5275 or 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will be kept strictly confidential, police said.