New York- The blond grifter who sweet-talked five lonely old men out of their life savings had another scam: cheating landlords out of their rent by using phony names and bankruptcy court, Queens prosecutors said yesterday.
Nancy (Sunshine) Jace, on probation for conning older men out of tens of thousands of dollars, and her hubby, Danny Nicholas, worked their rent scam for the last decade, according to prosecutors. The pair would sign a lease with fake names, fall behind in rent and then file for bankruptcy to stay the eviction, according to an indictment filed in Queens Supreme Court.
“She knows how to play with the system and she can get away with it,” said David Wang, an Army reservist and one of the landlords Jace allegedly scammed. He went to the Queens district attorney after the Daily News told him of cases other landlords had brought.
The rent con came even as Jace was using her wiles to rip off her elderly victims of thousands more, prosecutors said.
In the earlier cases, Jace faced up to 15 years but pleaded guilty in exchange for probation and a promise to pay back the money and stay away from her former victims.
That deal may now be in jeopardy because of the new arrest and because she had contacted one of her elderly dupes, prosecutors said.
“This matter should be in the landlord-tenant court or in federal court,” said Jace’s defense lawyer, Anthony Lombardino. “I don’t believe this is a criminal matter whatsoever.”
The couple, who face up to seven years in prison, are being held on $100,000 bail each.
“Somebody will find the money for her,” said 78-year-old Edgar Hultman, who lost $40,000 to Jace but said he still has feelings for her and would like to visit her in jail. “What the hell is wrong with her? I’d like to know what happened.”