Nicholas Jarzabek, accused of illegally subletting a £1.4 million home in Los Angeles owned by Netflix executive Nikeeta Sriram, allegedly earned nearly £173,000 through unauthorised Airbnb rentals.
Sriram discovered the scam when police found Airbnb guests at her property after an alarm was triggered in December, reported The Times.
Jarzabek had appeared trustworthy, driving a Tesla, wearing a Rolex, and presenting bank statements showing £787,400. He paid rent on time and promised to protect the home.
Court records reveal Jarzabek's history of similar schemes, including being barred from short-term listings in Beverly Hills and facing a previous eviction in Los Angeles.
Sriram, 31, noticed Jarzabek applied for the rental twice, three months apart. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “But it’s obviously suspicious in hindsight.”
Jarzabek listed the property on Airbnb for £541 per night for the main house and £391 for the separate flat, using a nearby motel's address. He received over 100 guest reviews.
Sriram filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, describing Jarzabek as a "nightmare" tenant. Court records show he earned £170,000 from the illegal sublets over 16 months. Sriram was awarded £15,615 in damages and a writ of possession for eviction on April 29, but the LA County Sheriff’s Department is delayed due to a pandemic backlog.
Jarzabek acknowledged a past lawsuit for listing short-term rentals in Beverly Hills without proper licenses and plans to sue Sriram, claiming she initiated eviction when he refused to leave early.
“I am not a nightmare tenant. I have never been a nightmare tenant,” Jarzabek told The Times. He claimed he had permission to sublet, but the lease reviewed by The Times prohibited it.
Jarzabek moved to Margate, Kent, last year to record a new album. A YouTube video shows him performing at Justines, a live music venue in Margate, on April 4.
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During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)