New York, NY – July 19, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of KEE LIN, 43, a former property manager for two Chinatown buildings, for writing unauthorized checks for more than $1.5 million, and creating false bank statements to mask the fraud. The defendant pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to the top count of the indictment against him, Grand Larceny in the First Degree. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2013.
“We trust property managers to do business honestly,” said District Attorney Vance. “This defendant abused that trust by stealing more than a million dollars from two buildings in the heart of Chinatown. When large sums of money are stolen from commercial buildings, those costs are often passed down to the buildings’ tenants. LIN’s actions not only jeopardized the financial stability of the buildings, but could have affected the many doctors, dentists, travel agents, and other small business owners who work there every day.”
As admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea and according to documents filed in court, from November 2006 to August 2009, LIN, employed as property manager for the buildings at 11 East Broadway and 128 Mott Street, stole more than $1.5 million from the buildings’ business accounts. In his position, LIN had limited access to the checking accounts of both buildings, which he used to write unauthorized checks payable to cash and to his own company, AIP Realty Services, Inc.
To conceal the ongoing theft, LIN created false bank statements which he would then submit to the buildings’ board members. The theft was discovered when a board member found a discrepancy between the forged bank statements LIN submitted, and the actual bank statements.
Assistant District Attorneys Kenn Kern, Deputy Chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau, and Nicholas Penfold, of Trial Bureau 80, handled the prosecution of the case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Kerry O’Connell, Chief of Trial Bureau 80; Brenda Fischer, Chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau; and Executive Assistant District Attorneys David M. Szuchman, Chief of the Investigation Division, and Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division. Senior Computer Forensic Analyst Selena Ley, Cybercrime Analyst Benjamin DiNapoli, and Trial Preparation Assistants Lauren Gunther, Robert LaRusso, and Ross Curley assisted with the case.
District Attorney Vance thanked NYPD Officers Vincent Cheung and Christopher Spano of the 5th Precinct for their assistance with the case. District Attorney Vance also thanked Peter Cheng, board member and accountant of 11 East Broadway and 128 Mott Street, for his assistance.
Defendant Information:
KEE LIN, D.O.B. 11/11/1969
New York, NY
Convicted:
Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a class B felony, 1 count
Contact
Erin Duggan
(212) 335-9400
