Two men are facing serious heat as accusations fly over a short-term rental racket that allegedly swindled victims across the U.S. out of a cool $8.5 million. Shray Goel, 35, from the sunny climes of Miami, and Shaunik Raheja, 34, the mile-high city's own, have been charged with running a sprawling scam across 10 states, complete with double-booking, bait-and-switch treatments, and discrimination based on race, as stated in NBC Miami.
The duo reportedly leveraged online platforms like Airbnb to perpetuate their fraud, creating a labyrinth of over 10,000 reservations tied to nearly 100 properties. But it turns out Goel and Raheja were set to not only deceive the customers but to openly discriminate, purportedly trying to blatantly avoid renting to Black guests, according to NBC Miami.
"Goel and Raheja made decisions about which guests to keep and which to cancel based in part on their racial prejudices and discrimination." This throws a shadow on the evolving story of short-term rentals, where trust is the cornerstone of the business model, as reported by NBC Miami.
The two alleged fraudsters are looking down the barrel of charges such as conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 13 counts of wire fraud, with Goel also up against two counts of aggravated identity theft.
As the legal proceedings inch forward and the defendants prepare for a courtroom showdown, Airbnb has made it clear in a statement that such malicious tricks are unwelcome. "Airbnb is built on trust, and bad actors have no place in our community," the company stated, as per NBC Miami.
