“No good deed goes unpunished “It’s a shame but good hearted , timid , or easy going landlords get punished relentlessly by most tenants especially in low income areas. 

Mortgage fraud punishable by up to 30 years in Federal prison and $1M in fines.

@Justin Kane has the right idea, I would stay out of NYC for investment.Our state government is about to fire a missile right into whatever is left of landlord rights in the city: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/nyregion/ny-rent-laws-regulation.htmlMost of those bills, if passed, will make NYC and more punishing investment environment than it already is.

what is the punishment if you do in FLA.. can they take your tax lien away ??  

I have definitely focused my efforts on investing out-of-state and partnering with others that do so.If income is the goal, it's a punishing environment.

@John Thedford lives in FL where the statutory framework prevents and punishes criminally -- unless you are licensed -- the exact method of wholesaling you are suggesting is legal nationwide.

Financial punishment is a powerful tool I use this for a second late and very rarely ever have a third.

They also have not removed the listings of owners in any of the many countries where being LGBTQ is illegal (in some punishable by death).

There are ways to warn them or punish them but I think it would be a lot more work with very little payoff.

If you think I'm joking, Texas Department of Corrections was just mandated to have AC in all prisons on the grounds that lack of AC is cruel and unusual punishment in Texas.