NEW YORK (PIX11) \u2014 Multiple New York City food vendors were swindled out of more than $50,000 by a man promising to lease them city-issued permits, authorities said Monday.<\/p>\n
Mohamed Orabi, 33, allegedly stole thousands in cash from two food truck vendors and a pushcart vendor during the scheme from October 2024 to November 2025, according to prosecutors.<\/p>\n
Discover more local reporting on our homepage <\/a><\/p>\n Orabi allegedly told the victims that he could lease them a permit that was in his name or get them one from another vendor, authorities said.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said the defendant allegedly claimed the vendors would get their permits after they passed a city inspection and then made excuses for why they never happened.<\/p>\n One of the vendors was also duped out of thousands when Orabi allegedly told the victim they needed insurance or to pay fines from the New York State Workers\u2019 Compensation Board.<\/p>\n But the vendor never had any fines, and Orabi never got the insurance, authorities alleged. The defendant then allegedly used the vendor\u2019s debit card to rack up $10,000 in sports bets, according to court records.<\/p>\n Orabi, a Jersey City native, was indicted for grand larceny. Information for his attorney was not immediately available.<\/p>\n Authorities believe there may be more victims.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers were building their businesses as food vendors when Mohamed Orabi allegedly took advantage of their limited knowledge of local regulations to scam them out of thousands of dollars,\u201d said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. \u201cThis is an ongoing investigation \u2013 if you have been scammed, please call our office\u2019s Immigration Affairs Unit hotline at 212-335-3600 or via WhatsApp at 347-371-0877. Interpreters are available to assist non-native English speakers, and we encourage all to reach out regardless of immigration status.\u201d<\/p>\n Mira Wassef is an award-winning reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined the PIX11 News digital team in 2022. See more of her work here.<\/a> <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n