Cops: Man rented out Valley Stream, Elmont homes he didn't own

A Queens man was arrested after pretending to own a Valley Stream house and renting it to two women, Nassau County police said Thursday.

Terrell Hill, 31, of 112-13 180th St., Jamaica, was arrested on charges of grand larceny and burglary Wednesday when he returned to the house to collect additional money from the victims after an initial down payment of $1,600 on Aug. 8, police said.

Hill was arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead on two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and two counts of third-degree burglary. Bail was set at $40,000.

Hill put an ad on Craigslist and, posing as a homeowner, rented an Elm Street residence to two women on Aug. 8, police said. He collected $1,600 from them and returned Thursday to collect more money.

Fourth Squad detectives investigating the case said Hill also rented out another unoccupied residence on Cerenzia Boulevard in Elmont on Aug. 1. He collected $3,800 from a woman while pretending to be the rightful owner of the home, police said.

But his attorney, Richard Celestin of Kew Gardens, said he is conducting his own probe in the case and is "confident" that his client will be exonerated.

Celestin declined to give details of what happened, but said Hill had "acted in complete faith" and was cooperating with police.

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Anyone who thinks they might have been duped in a similar scam can call the Fourth Squad at 516-573-6453.

With Ellen Yan

CORRECTION: The first name of the suspect was incorrect in an earlier version of this story because of erroneous information provided by police.