A Dorchester man now faces at least 21 charges in three different courts for the way he allegedly used Facebook Marketplace to scam people out of deposit money on a room in his apartment in a three decker on Taft Street in Dorchester.
Bruno Vieira Ferreira, 23, faces at least 21 charges of larceny over $1,200 by false pretense, larceny under $1,200 by false pretense, forgery and uttering - deliberately cashing a bad check - in Boston Municipal, Dorchester and West Roxbury courts, according to court records.
According to the DA's office, Ferreira scammed at least six people out of deposits in January and February for a room in his apartment at 9 Taft St. that he had advertised on Facebook:
The payments, ranging from $450 to $1800, were made in cash or through Zelle, a peer-to-peer payment app. Ferreira collected $10,350 from potential tenants.
When the victims inquired about their scheduled move-in dates, Ferreira would give various excuses why they couldn’t move in, including saying that existing tenants hadn’t moved out so no space was available, or that family members of his had died and he couldn’t move out. Ferreira refused to refund any payments.
At around 8:30 a.m. on February 5, Boston police responded to 9 Taft Street for a call about a landlord-tenant dispute. Officers spoke to two men who stated they had signed and paid a $3,600 lease agreement for an apartment at the address. The men had encountered a resident at the address who told them he lived in the apartment for which they had signed a lease, and that no space was available. The resident said numerous other people had come to the home claiming to have paid deposits for the same apartment.
The resident told police that he believed that one of his roommates, later identified as Ferreira, had been advertising the room and scamming respondents.
Police were called to the same address on February 7 for a similar dispute. Officers spoke to a man who said he had paid a person, later identified as Ferreira, $1,350 for a room with a February 1 move-in date. The man told officers that Ferreira would not let him move in. While officers were talking to the victim, a different building resident approached and told them that he was aware of Ferreira’s scheme.
Detectives later entered the house and found a sign in the lobby that read: "Hello, if you are looking for a Bruno or have had money taken by him, we have no information either. There are multiple police reports on this case, and an eviction notice has been sent."
BPD detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest and tracked him to a new apartment on Exeter Street in the Back Bay, where they arrested him on Feb. 28.
A judge in one of the Dorchester cases initially set bail at $1,000, but Ferreira appealed to Suffolk Superior Court and he was released on personal recognizance, according to court records.
Innocent, etc.
