Cops: Man Pretended to Be Homeowner, Rented Empty Homes

A Queens man faces charges after he masqueraded as a homeowner and collected rent on two houses he did not own, according to Nassau County Police.

Police said Terrell Hill, 31, of Jamaica, discovered a Valley Stream home on Elm Street was unoccupied. Hill then placed an ad on Craigslist and collected a $1,600 downpayment from two women to rent the house, cops said.

The two renters were confronted Wednesday by the real homeowner, who came to do a routine check on the house, cops said.

Hill also went to the house to collect money from the two renters and was placed under arrest at the scene, cops said. Investigators found he was also fraudulently renting a Cerenzia Boulevard home in Elmont to a woman and had collected $3,800 from her, cops said.

Hill was charged with third-degree grand larceny, two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, and two counts of third-degree burglary. He will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have been a victim to call the Fourth Squad at 516-573-6453.