Miami businessman accused of vacation rental scam

a Miami businessman It is allegedly involved Millionaire Scam Using vacation rentals and canceling customer reservations.

It is about the businessman Mr. GoyalA resident of Miami whose alleged partner was a citizen Shaunik RahejaFrom Denver.

Both men are accused by US authorities of running a multi-million dollar scam using a vacation rental platform. Airbnb

And Vrbo.

Martin EstradaUnited States prosecutors use around people involved in public or fraudulent schemes A hundred properties That they control the whole country, suffer and allocate thousands of people $8.5 million dollars.

This extended scheme was launched in 2018. They used false customer lists and fraudulently canceled reservations at the last minute, especially for those who were not paying the highest price per room. People who canceled did not get their money back.

The defendants face federal charges. It includes double booking scam, deceptive business practices. They affected travelers from Chicago, Malibu and Denver.

The prosecutor pointed out that the accused, allegedly, They used to discriminate against the victims For racial issues.

“One of the things that was plotted was to discriminate against tenants who these individuals believed to be black. They would do so by canceling their reservation and renting to other people instead,” Estrada said.

Mr. Goyal And Shaunik RahejaIn total they face 13 charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.