Landlord pleads guilty to fraud for scamming students
Police say Carette rented same apartments to at least 30 people
A 27-year-old Bedford man is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a slew of charges for scamming Halifax university students.
Crown attorney Ron Lacey said Cyrano Carette pleaded guilty Friday to 13 fraud charges and one theft charge in connection with an apartment scam.
Police said Carette sucked in unsuspecting university students with properties on Robie and Cedar streets, just blocks away from Dalhousie University.
Victims told CBC News that in 2012 they paid Carette a deposit and first month’s rent after seeing Kijiji listings for an apartment at the Robie Street building he was managing.
When they showed up on move-in day, they discovered other students had signed leases for the same apartment — but Carette was nowhere to be found.
Police said he rented the same apartments to at least 30 people, allegedly making off with $10,000.
Police began investigating Carette in 2012 and allege he was also running rental fraud in buildings the city had declared unfit for human habitation. He no longer owns those properties.
Carette was originally facing more than 100 counts of theft, fraud and making a false statement.
He is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing Sept. 9.