Massachusetts Attorney General announces New Bedford man sentenced after stealing $20,000+ from unsuspecting prospective renters

TAUNTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has announced that, following a bench trial in Bristol County Taunton Superior Court, a New Bedford man was found guilty on charges in connection to stealing $20,400 by false pretenses from 13 individuals in 2022.

Following seven days of testimony, Victor Tiu Lopez of New Bedford was found guilty on one count of Witness Intimidation, eight counts of Larceny Over $1200 by False Pretenses, and four counts of Larceny Under $1200 by False Pretenses. Judge Claudine Cloutier sentenced Lopez to two back-to-back two-year sentences in the House of Correction, followed by a one-year period of probation.

The AGO indicted Lopez in September 2022, alleging that between February and April 2022, he falsely presented himself as the owner, or soon-to-be owner, of affordable apartments for rent in New Bedford and collected over $20,000 in deposits from unsuspecting prospective renters. Many of the exploited renters were members of a Guatemalan Mayan immigrant community in New Bedford and were particularly vulnerable to exploitation due to being in housing crisis. In addition to stealing from thirteen victims, Lopez also stands convicted of threatening to kill a community organizer from Centro Comunitario De Trabajadores, a non-profit in New Bedford that supports immigrant workers, who had been assisting the rental scam victims in reporting Lopez’s fraudulent contracts.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Sullivan of the AGO’s White Collar and Public Integrity Division and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Schmidt of the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, who served as Special Assistant Attorney General. They were supported by Victim Witness Advocate Ceara Tavares and Civilian Investigator Marcus Melia of the AGO’s Financial Investigations Division. The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, the New Bedford Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police also provided critical support.

The AGO’s White Collar and Public Integrity Division investigates and prosecutes serious criminal misconduct involving crimes against public agencies, corrupt public employees and public entities, crimes that have a harmful effect on public confidence in our government and other trusted institutions, and financial crimes.