Logo

A fake fire inspector who promised residents and businesses up and down the East Coast to make violations go away with a bribe of a few hundred dollars has been busted, police said.

Michael Carrion, 57, was arrested by cops along with FDNY Fire Marshals at his Bronx home Wednesday for allegedly scamming dozens of people in New York City and seven other states over the last four years, according to authorities.

The alleged MO of Carrion — who is well-known to the city’s fire marshals — is to pose as a fire inspector and solicit a fee under $1,000 to take care of the violations, according to sources.

Carrion would ask for cash and even hand out receipts, sources said.

Back in 2020, he was busted by city authorities after allegedly scamming a Brooklyn bakery out of $300, according to sources.

Authorities have since connected him to 24 similar schemes across Manhattan between 2019 and 2023 — two of which happened just this past week in Grand Central Food Court. according to fire officials and police.

Carrion was charged Thursday with multiple counts of petit larceny, impersonation, grand larceny and scheme to defraud and will be prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, officials said.

The phony inspector has 12 open warrants in seven states for similar schemes, officials said.

Carrion is wanted on a warrant in Connecticut where he is accused of posing as a Milford fire inspector in February.

He allegedly demanded money from owners after performing an inspection, fire officials said. He faces charges of larceny and criminal impersonation

Carrion is also being sought by DC police after allegedly scamming a bagel shop out of day’s profits while posing as a fire inspector again, according to local reports.

Two of the warrants are from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but the details of those case were not immediately known. 

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy