Turn To Tara: Arrest made 1 week after exclusive report on immigrant scam
Posted: Updated:An arrest was made one week after a Turn To Tara investigation exposed a scam targeting immigrants in Westchester.
New father Jorge Ordonez said he wound up falling prey to a rental scam shortly after he arrived in Westchester.
The scam was allegedly staged by Jeffrey Pena, who is accused of posting Spanish ads in Laundromats across the county featuring a cheap, too-good-to-be-true apartment rental.
After he took two month’s rent from would-be tenants, the tenants say they were never allowed to move in.
Mount Pleasant police say officers arrested Pena Thursday morning, one week after Turn To Tara exposed the allegations. He was slapped with eight felony counts of scheme to defraud in the first degree.
Police say Pena specifically targeted undocumented residents and threatened to call ICE when victims asked for their money back.
News 12’s Tara Rosenblum spoke by phone with a handful of Pena’s alleged victims. They said they were surprised and grateful to learn of his arrest.
Pena has not returned calls for comment from News 12.
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Tara has your back and wants to hear from you. Reach her by email, Twitter or Facebook.Turn to Tara partners with Documenting Hate to report on hate crimes
Turn to Tara partners with Documenting Hate to report on hate crimes
Turn to Tara and News 12 are partnering with Documenting Hate -- a collaborative journalism project led by nonprofit investigative newsroom ProPublica -- to track and report on hate crimes.
Turn to Tara and News 12 are partnering with Documenting Hate -- a collaborative journalism project led by nonprofit investigative newsroom ProPublica -- to track and report on hate crimes around the country. Have you been the victim or witness of a hate crime or bias incident? Tell us your story. #dh-form-embed { width: 500px; }
Turn to Tara and News 12 are partnering with Documenting Hate -- a collaborative journalism project led by nonprofit investigative newsroom ProPublica -- to track and report on hate crimes around the country. Have you been the victim or witness of a hate crime or bias incident? Tell us your story. #dh-form-embed { width: 500px; }
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Turn To Tara: Arrest made 1 week after exclusive report on immigrant scam
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An arrest was made one week after a Turn To Tara investigation exposed a scam targeting immigrants in Westchester.
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