New Bedford housing crisis spawns alleged scam targeting undocumented residents

NEW BEDFORD — On March 10, Victor Tiu Lopez uploaded a video to his Facebook profile.

Dressed in a coat and knitted hat, he faced the camera and addressed his Spanish-speaking audience. "Good morning, everyone," he said. "I'm making this video for many reasons."

The video was Lopez's retort to the accusations of Adrian Ventura, executive director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (CCT). In the days preceding the post, Venturaalleged that Lopez defrauded dozens of Central Americans in New Bedford — many undocumented — with false promises of housing.

"People have been saying a lot of things about me regarding what I've been doing," Lopez said. "But I want you to understand what is happening.

"This person acted really badly by posting my photos to Facebook, saying: 'This person is this. This person is that.' With no knowledge of where I'm at, what are my processes, and what's happening with me."

According to Ventura though, the help he offered was simple: to help those who allegedly lost money to Lopez find justice.

"[Lopez] took advantage of the pandemic crisis," he said in Spanish.

'They were in crisis'

According to Ventura, the situation began when Lopez infiltrated several groups on social media where he would post advertisements for rental units.

"He'd say: I have an apartment to rent," Ventura claimed.

He charged that once Lopez collected "fees" and deposits for a given apartment, Lopez would ghost his clients.

"Many people believed him because they were in crisis," he said.

New Bedford has seen an increase in population that has outpaced available housing, causing housing prices to spike significantly, resulting in many long-time residents being unable to afford rent.

The situation is more complicated for undocumented immigrants, who often take jobs paying below minimum wage.

According to Carmen Mejil, director of the Housing Opportunity Center for People Acting in Community Endeavors, Inc. (PACE), an uptick in housing scams targeting the undocumented began after an Acushnet Avenue fire displaced 40 in April 2021.

"There were six, seven people living in one unit together, and they had to in order to make that rent," she said. "And when the fire happened, that was their first thing: whatever we can get first, let's just get into it. ... I know one particular person who ended up paying quite a few fees before he was able to locate a room."

Mejil said she sees a lot of what she believes are similar scams on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

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Documents provided to The Standard-Times by CCT show the total claimed by Lopez's alleged victims to be at least $17,134.

According to the New Bedford Police Department, as of June 6, Lopez faces 10 charges for larceny over $1,200 against 10 separate people.

New Bedford Police also said an investigation is ongoing alongside the Massachusetts State Police.

Christopher Abreu, Lopez's lawyer, declined to comment on the matter.

'Not even a kitchen'

Alvaro, a 24-year-old undocumented man from the Quiche department of Guatemala, arrived in New Bedford about two years ago with his cousin. The pair found a four-room apartment they shared with four other people in order to pay the $1,100 rent.

"The people I was staying with weren't family," Alvaro, whose full name is being withheld to protect his identity, said. "They agreed to let me stay, but for only a certain amount of time until I landed on my feet."

As one of six people in the apartment he contributed $200 monthly of his $13 an hour earnings towards rent.

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In February, the pair, plus a friend and his 7-year-old daughter, began the search for a bigger space.

"We wanted our own space and some room so the girl could play," he said. That was when the group found a post from Lopez in a WhatsApp group.

He said they called Lopez and arranged to visit the five-room apartment on Edison Street three days later.

"It had nothing, not even a kitchen," Alvaro said. "But he said that he would remodel it and we could move in in a couple of months."

All that was necessary to reserve the space was a $1,500 fee. Alvaro said they thought they had to move quickly, claiming that Lopez pressured them by claiming others wanted the apartment.

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The next day, Alvaro and one of the other men gave $750 a piece. He claimed that he did not hear from Lopez again for a month — despite numerous attempts to contact him.

That was around when Ventura started to call attention to Lopez via social media. It was then the trio suspected they may have been swindled.

"People started to say: if this person offers you something you, don't give him money," he said. "But we had already done that."

Desperation and fear

One advocate said that the combination of fear and lack of knowledge related to their new surroundings leads to more insularity among local undocumented, especially Maya.

"This population ... [is] very vulnerable," said Liz Lozada, immigrant youth program manager for the Immigrants' Assistance Center. "That's why the [Maya community is concentrated] in the North End, because they tend to stay together.

"They trust each other because they know each other's experiences and they're able to connect with each other better than outside of their community."

Local housing advocates say that the city's current housing crisis creates fertile ground for such scams; especially for what the Immigrants' Assistance Center conservatively estimates are New Bedford's 10,000 undocumented residents.

A large portion of those speak indigenous languages — like Ki'iche — instead of Spanish.

Lozada said that they are in the U.S. looking for something many citizens are as well.

They're looking for stability," Lozada said. Their newness, lack of English skills, incomprehension of local culture, as well as their often-undocumented status — leaving them fearful to reach out to authorities — creates a population that is particularly vulnerable to scammers. "They're easily intimidated by anyone who's not part of their own community."

There is no Census category for Maya and a large portion of the population is undocumented. According to the most recent estimate, the 2015 1-year American Community Survey, there are 2,214 Guatemalans in the city.

No data was available for Hondurans and Nicaraguans.

PACE also pointed out that services many pay fees for, such as credit checks, can be done for free themselves.

For an undocumented person though, a lack of legal U.S. identification makes such a barrier even more prohibitive, limiting options even further.

"People are anxious to find housing and they know that they are limited without identification," said Maria Grace, Emergency Solutions Grant coordinator for PACE. "And with all the protocol that's going on right now, you know, even to check all the records that they want to check in advance. ... I definitely know that [undocumented people are] a targeted population."

The Office of the state's Attorney General declined to comment directly on Lopez's case.

The office did, however, offer tips to avoid falling for scams. These include: caution when reviewing sites such as Craigslist, always pay any fees through traceable means — not Venmo or Zelle, confirm with the building owner that the apartment is indeed available for rent, and read any agreements carefully before handing over money.

For more information, visit the AG's website.

'I am incapable of tricking people'

Dressed in blue and seated before a wall in the Bristol County House of Corrections, Lopez appeared before a judge in New Bedford District Court via video Friday.

After a brief discussion between the prosecutor and his lawyer before the judge, he was arraigned for a second court date on July 19.

He then quietly exited from the camera's view.

Though silent that day, he professed innocence in his video from March 10.

"Many people know me," he said. "I have struggled in this country day after day after day. ... I know what it is to sacrifice. I know the sacrifice necessary to succeed in this country.

"I am incapable of tricking people, of robbing them."

Ventura said that CCT has started a GoFundMe to help the alleged victims of Lopez recoup their money.

For his part, Alvaro accused Lopez of robbing more than just his $750.

"I don't know how I will be able to trust in people again," he said. "I don't know what to do about finding a place.

"It's so sad when one of your own people does this."

Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@s-t.com and follow him on Twitter: @KevinGAndrade. Support local journalism and subscribe to the Standard-Times today!

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford housing crisis spawns alleged rental scam