More Victims of Rent Scam Sought
Los Angeles police were seeking more victims of an alleged scam in which two men are believed to have collected more than $15,000 from prospective renters of a vacant three-bedroom house in Silver Lake.
The suspects, identified as Gregory Revson, 29, and Anthony Mezheritsky, 26, signed rental agreements with at least 10 different low-income Latino families interested in the same house, according to detectives with the Police Department’s Rampart Division.
The home had been advertised for rent at $725 per month in English- and Spanish-language newspapers. Between Sept. 8 and 18, the prospective tenants were interviewed at the vacant house by the two men, who had keys and represented themselves as the landlords. The victims filled out rental applications and each family made deposits of $1,500 to $1,750, detectives said.
A tip that the suspects were using a rental car, and some help from the rental agency, led to the capture of Revson and Mezheritsky on Sept. 28. Both were booked for grand theft, detectives said, and are free on bail.
Other possible victims in the rental scam are asked to call Rampart Division detectives at 485-4078.
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