Being a New Yorker myself I understand what you're getting at JD lol...
But I think their is a lesson to be learned in your friend's situation. Nothing is promised and their is always a chance things could go really wrong. The thing to do is to pick yourself up (after a while) and carry the hell on with your life. Somebody said something about karma earlier in the thread. Puta girl and her Sankie will get theirs in the end.
I would imagine they are already getting theirs. Although they got the apartment or house, I'm sure the little bit of money that they can make between the two of them probably leaves the two of them wondering where they are going to get their next meal from living in a city like NYC with limited education and making a minimum wage. Karma is a bitch and most people who do wrong by others eventually get smacked by it.