NY Attorney General targets illegal evictions and housing fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with Spigro Management, LLC after an investigation found the landlord had illegally changed locks to evict tenants in Brooklyn and the Bronx on at least four occasions between 2020 and 2025. The company will pay statutory and compensatory damages of $1,000‑$1,200 to each of the four victims and $23,500 in penalties.

In a separate case, Justice Verna L. Saunders of the New York County Supreme Court barred Florida resident Jessica Vargas from managing or selling the low‑income housing cooperative at 13 Scholes Street in Williamsburg. The Attorney General’s office sued Vargas for forging documents, moving more than $442,000 of tenant rent into personal accounts and attempting to sell the property despite lacking legal ownership. The court ordered her to relinquish all authority and to surrender the illegal profits, with a special referee to determine the final monetary penalty.