Long Beach police have arrested a woman who is accused of stealing security deposits from people looking for an apartment, more than two years after allegations first surfaced.
Anne Bergstedt, 40, was behind bars as of Monday afternoon after being charged with stealing nearly $50,000 from more than a dozen of would-be tenants for years.
Bergstedt was hoarding dozens of deposits of $1,500 to $4,000 paid by people who responded to her fake apartment listings, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
When the renter sent money to secure the apartment, Bergsted would cut off communication and keep the money, prosecutors alleged.
Makayla Sanger, one of the alleged victims, said Monday that she was excited to hear that Bergstedt had finally been arrested.
Sanger and her partner had quit their jobs and packed up to move to Long Beach. They said they paid Bergstead a security deposit, but the apartment never materialized.
In an effort to stall, Sanger said, Bergstedt even told the couple that she had to be hospitalized for cancer, a claim that prosecutors doubted.
“The texts did not go through. My number had been blocked,” Sanger said, explaining that Bergstedt eventually cut off communication altogether.
Sanger and her partner ended up getting their money back but had to stay in Texas.
Marcia Martinez, another alleged victim, said she lost nearly $4,000 in December 2024 when she scraped together a deposit on a Long Beach loft that Bergstedt was renting but never had the right to sublease out.
“It was an emotional roller coaster,” Martinez said. “Believe me. I could break down and cry right now.”
Many of the people who claimed to have lost money took to social media, including Reddit, and even started their own website, documenting their allegations against Bergstedt.
NBC Los Angeles tried several times in 2024 and this year to contact Bergstedt, using phone numbers she gave renters. They were all disconnected.
Court documents indicated a judge issued an arrest warrant based on the accounts of 14 separate victims, resulting in 15 charges, including grand theft and obtaining money by false pretenses.
The documents said one alleged victim was burned twice.
Both Sanger and Martinez said they haven’t been contacted about being part of the case.
“The entire time she was just lying. It was messed up across the board,” Sanger said, adding she’s happy justice is being served.
Bergstedt was also known as the Long Beach woman who fought her landlord to keep her pet pig inside her Long Beach apartment, claiming it was her service animal.
Bergstedt’s bail was lowered to $150,000.
Her next court appearance was set for Dec. 3.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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