Victim of Con Artist

[Conned]

I've been the victim of a female con-artist. She tricked me into paying for her move from CA to NYC, and then convinced me to sign a lease for a very high rent apartment. She told me her business would start up in a few weeks and would be bringing in plenty of income to cover the lease which I could then assign to her.
This has been going on for a few months now and I can't afford the rent anymore (paid on credit cards since she said she'd pay me back). She is living in the apartment, I live in another state and have never lived in the apartment myself. She has told everyone there that we're married or engaged which is not true. The lease doesn't have an early termination clause, but does have a provision that you can't run a business from it, which she is supposedly doing (no proof). She has lived there as a guest since May 08 and all of her personal items are in the apartment.

Would I be able to just remove her guest status and have the building staff bar her from entry?
If not, what would I have to do to evict her from the apartment?
Does the building need to go through eviction proceedings?
Can I stop paying the electric bill and force a disconnect since the electric bill is in my name?
I'm hoping I can negotiate an early termination of the lease, with no liability for the remainder (through May 09)...if that's not possible, is it possible to settle with the company for a lesser amount?

This has been a horrible experience and I just want to wrap it up as soon as possible...

[Cranky Tenant]

If she's been living in the apartment for more than 30 days then she's legally an occupant. You'll need to serve her with a 30 day notice to vacate, and then follow up in Housing Court to have her evicted.

Have you spoken with police? If she is, indeed, a con artist she may not hang around if she becomes aware police are on to her. They may also have more suggestions as to how you should proceed.

[Conned]

I haven't spoken to the police yet, as I'm not in NYC. I'm not sure which precinct the building is in or if I need to file a report in person or not. Thanks for the advice though, I'm going to check into it.

Alternatively, is there any rule against having some obnoxious roomates join her until she wants to move out on her own?

The building provides heat and water...but the electric bill is in my name, would it be legal for me to close my account with Con-Ed?

I know I sound like a dope, but this person has a narcissistic personality disorder and is extremely skilled at lying and manipulation. I was basically manipulated into "helping" her with the lease until she was back on her feet. The private investigators I hired found proof that everything she said was a lie, and when I contacted her family they told me they will not even have any contact with her because of her problems. The good news for me is that people like this typically disappear when their scam is discovered. Unfortunately, I still have to deal with the lease...hopefully the building will let me off the hook or can re-rent it quickly.

Thanks for your help!

[Cranky Tenant]

NYPD lists Precincts and their telephones on their website http://nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/home/precincts.shtml

[TenantNet]

The police will not do anything ... except maybe arrest the OP if he illegally tosses the person out or cuts power.

[Cranky Tenant]

True but sometimes the fear of the police is enough in itself. And if the OP winds up in court claiming s/he was scammed, or hopes to negotiate his/her way out of the lease, it's helpful to have a police report to back up this claim.

[Glenn Quagmire]

wHY did you rent an apartment for her, and pay for her to move across the country?

This story, makes no sense.

[lofter1]

Hot?

[Emeraldstar]

[impunchdrunk]

You CAN'T be serious! Why on EARTH would you do that for someone you've never met?