Bragg Indicts Bodybuilder in $100,000 Sublease Rental Scam
A photogenic fitness trainer got that money, but his allegedly ill-gotten gains have already landed him on Rikers Island, and, if convicted, prison time is likely.
| 19 Dec 2025 | 12:28
Bodybuilder Jerry Genesis, who was indicted in a $100,000 rental scam. (
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Jerry Genesis in better times at Genesis Wellness in 2018. (
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Buff and smiling bodybuilder, fitness trainer, and would-be Instagram influencer Jerry Genesis, 35, has been indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. for allegedly stealing over $100,000 from at least eight prospective tenants in a sublease rental scam.
Genesis is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with three counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. He was also separately arraigned on one count of Bail Jumping in the Second Degree.
The bail-jumping charge relates to Genesis’s February 2025 indictment for a series of alleged wallet thefts and other scams from March to June 2023.
Genesis, of the Bronx, was arrested this past August in Stamford, Conn., following a three-hour standoff with cops.
“As alleged, Jerry Genesis took advantage of New York’s extremely competitive housing market to steal hard-earned money from eight individuals who trusted him to find them apartments. One of the victims had already started moving into the apartment before he realized it was a scam, leaving him without a home,” said DA Bragg. “This investigation is ongoing, and we believe there are additional victims—please contact us at 212-335-3300 or danyhousing@dany.nyc.gov.”
Though the full biography of Genesis is presently obscure, his Instagram account, which was most recently posted to on July 27, 2025, offers some clues. In that final, to date, dispatch, Genesis—who gave his location as Tribeca—is seen smiling inside an apartment. He’s neatly groomed, wearing bracelets on each wrist, green pants (or shorts; the photo is cut off at his thighs), and an unbranded white T-shirt that shows off his extremely muscular arms, shoulders, and chest.
The complete text of the post is “DISCIPLINE AND FOCUS is the bridge between goals and accomplishments” followed by two emojis, including one of a black man’s arms making a muscle, and 21 hashtags: #limitless #NYC #newyorkcity #wellness #fashion #fitness #newlevels #bodybuilding #Motivation #aesthetics #eatclean #weightlifting #shredded #lifestyle #olympiclifting #discipline #dedication #healthy #health #crossfit #levelup.”
Genesis concluded his post with an expired website address, www.jgqhealthcareclubs.com. Older posts referring to www.jerrygenesis.com are also expired, while his photos are a mix of a friendly-looking, fashion-conscious man in street clothes and the “ripped” and shirtless bodybuilder who doesn’t skip leg day and isn’t shy about pulling down his shorts slightly to show off his abdominal cut.
“Mastery is not a function of genius or talent, it is a function of time and intense focus applied to particular field of knowledge,” said one such post from Oct. 25, 2021, when he gave his location as “Wall Street Financial District Manhattan New York.” Among the hashtags then was #JGWEnterprises, the apparent long-term non-success of which may explain Genesis’s later turn to alleged crimes.
Back In June 2018, Genesis appears to have been in ascent, and the proprietor of a FiDi fitness center called Genesis Wellness, with the slogan “Achieve Your Greatest Self.” “Great innovation only Happens when your not afraid to do things Differently,” he wrote then. “Genesis Wellness—come see why we are the number one Wellness Program in NYC. If your in Manhattan NY and your Looking for a complete body transformation, weight loss, strength training, fitness /work life balance or if your having low back pain, knee pain, hip or shoulder mobility issues.”
Where it all went wrong for Genesis will likely be revealed at a future court hearing but now, while Genesis is being held on Rikers Island without bail, it’s the District Attorney’s turn to speak.
As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, between Nov. 19, 2024, and July 31, 2025, Genesis stole from would-be renters by falsely representing that he had apartments available for sublease through a third-party broker in the East Village, Chinatown, Nolita, Chelsea, and Downtown Brooklyn.
When the victims expressed interest, Genesis arranged for them to view the apartments, and signed sublease agreements in which he identified himself as the lessor. At least eight victims signed sublease agreements with Genesis and paid him move-in costs ranging from $8,100 to $17,200, totaling at least $101,692.42.
None of the victims ever successfully moved into the apartments they believed to have rented. One victim arrived at the apartment with some of his belongings, only to find an eviction notice taped to the apartment door, and two of the victims never received keys.
Genesis had rented the apartments that he offered for sublease by allegedly falsifying his employment and income information on the lease applications. He had not paid rent on those apartments and had no permission or authority to sublease the units.
The exact locations of these apartments, and the identity of Genesis victims, was not released in the indictment. His next scheduled court date is February 19, 2026.