Bronx Men Face Allegations of Property Sales Fraud

Mario Tolisano and Celestino Orta, both of Bronx, N.Y., have been charged with allegedly bilking three people out of more than $1.3 million in a scam involving selling property the defendants neither owned nor were authorized to sell. According to Bronx district attorney Robert T. Johnson, the defendants, who were unavailable for comment, allegedly offered to sell various properties to two real estate investors, which Mr. Orta allegedly falsely claimed he had either bought or was in the process of buying. The investors allegedly examined the real estate and agreed on a purchase price of $710,000, to be paid up front. Later, the victims were allegedly offered additional properties in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, for which they paid another $502,000. The defendants then allegedly approached a third victim, who made a $70,000 downpayment for a vacant lot. The victims eventually filed complaints against the defendants, alleging multiple attempts to schedule closings on the properties were ignored, since the defendants never had ownership of the properties nor had authorization to sell them. Mr. Tolisano was arraigned before State Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy, who set bail at $250,000. Arraignment for Mr. Orta, who is currently in custody on an unrelated matter, is scheduled for Sept. 3.