Man Arrested For Trying To Steal NYC Hotel

You've likely heard of grand theft auto, but how about grand theft hotel? A Brooklyn man was arrested Friday after trying to steal New York City's SoHo Grand Hotel by filing a fraudulent deed to transfer ownership of the $76 million establishment to himself.

Kouadio Kouassi, 46, was charged with attempted grand larceny and two counts of offering a false instrument for filing.

Kouassi allegedly filed a phony business certificate with the New York County Clerk’s Office in an effort to establish a bogus business interest in the hotel. Authorities say he went to the Department of Finance to record a phony deed which transferred ownership of the property to himself.

His paperwork, however, was not accepted because he did not have all of the necessary signatures and documents.

Still, the hopeful hotel thief was persistent in his efforts to have the deed recorded, and returned to the department at least four other times to try and have the deed recorded again. During one of those visits, a department employee became suspicious of Kouassi and notified authorities.