Winthrop man charged with scamming 17 prospective tenants in Malden

A Winthrop man is facing larceny charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from prospective apartment renters in Malden.

Kenneth Riel, 50, is accused of 11 counts of larceny over $1,200, six counts of larceny, and one count of false entries or omissions in corporate books for allegedly stealing $35,000 in down payments and security deposits from people trying to rent apartments, the Middlesex District Attorney’s office announced Friday.

Prosecutors say that in the fall of 2023, Riel started working as the property manager of a multi-unit apartment complex in Malden. While there, he allegedly told rental applicants to submit money orders for deposits and to leave the payee and payor information blank. 

Riel then allegedly completed the money orders, writing his name or the names of family members as the payee rather than the management company, according to officials. In one instance, a renter paid Riel through the cash transfer app Zelle, which investigators allegedly tracked to Riel’s personal Zelle account.

When the applicants followed up with Riel about the apartments, he allegedly made excuses for the delays, repeatedly telling one victim that the apartment inspection was delayed for months, according to officials.

The thefts were discovered after Riel stopped working at the complex, when the rental applicants showed up looking for keys and asking when their apartment would be ready. At that point, the new manager told the victims to contact local police. 

According to prosecutors, 17 people said they gave Riel payments that were never documented with the management company. 

“In this case the defendant allegedly took advantage of victims, many of whom were non-English speaking immigrants, seeking housing. Using his position he allegedly took the victims’ money for his own personal use, stealing not only their money but their opportunity to rent an apartment they had been led to believe they had secured,” said District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Riel was arraigned on Dec. 19 in Malden District Court, where bail was set at $10,000. He is due back in court on Jan. 17.