A 25-year-old Bronx man is heading to prison after admitting he posed as a realtor on Facebook Marketplace and pocketed thousands of dollars from people looking for apartments that were never actually his to rent. Elijah Medina pleaded guilty to grand larceny and now faces two to six years behind bars, along with an order to repay nearly $12,000 to the people he took money from.
According to the Bronx District Attorney's Office, as reported by News12 Bronx, Medina collected payments from prospective renters for apartments he did not own or have any legal right to lease. Prosecutors said he built his scheme around Facebook Marketplace listings, presenting himself as a legitimate real estate agent to convince people the units were real and available.
A Familiar Pattern Across New York City
Medina's case echoes another recent Bronx-linked rental fraud scheme that unfolded on a larger scale. Prosecutors said Juan Valoy, 47, stole about $105,000 from 21 New Yorkers by showing apartments he did not own or have permission to rent, then collecting application fees, security deposits and first months' rent, according to Gothamist. Valoy typically took between $2,500 and $7,000 from each prospective renter by telling them the money would hold an apartment, the outlet reported.
Valoy pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Manhattan and to attempted burglary and scheme to defraud in the Bronx, per Gothamist's reporting. Separately, PIX11 reported that Valoy pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny in New York State Supreme Court in July 2026 and was sentenced to two to four years in state prison. From March through July 2025, PIX11 reported, Valoy posed as a real estate broker and attracted prospective renters through Facebook Marketplace and third-party referrals, arranging tours of apartments in Washington Heights, Queens and the Bronx that he claimed were available to rent.
Why Scammers Keep Turning To Facebook
The reliance on social media listings to lure renters isn't unique to either case. Reports to the FBI of real-estate-related crimes have increased roughly 80% over the last decade, according to Gothamist's reporting on the Valoy case. That climb has tracked alongside the rise of online marketplaces where anyone can post a listing with little vetting of whether they actually control the property.
For Medina, the consequences are now set: two to six years in prison and restitution of nearly $12,000 to the people he misled, as reported by News12 Bronx. The case adds to a string of rental scam prosecutions coming out of the Bronx and Manhattan in recent months, each built on the same basic premise — a fake listing, a convincing pitch, and renters left out thousands of dollars before anyone realized the apartment was never really for rent.
