{"id":3702,"date":"2024-01-24T09:44:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T14:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=3702"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:17:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:17:00","slug":"guilty-pleas-in-long-island-heirs-recover-their-stolen-deeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/guilty-pleas-in-long-island-heirs-recover-their-stolen-deeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Guilty Pleas in Long Island: Heirs Recover Their Stolen Deeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two New Yorkers \u2014 and one is a former lawyer and a licensed notary \u2014 have pleaded guilty to deed fraud charges in New York. The charges involve first-degree scheming to defraud, and additional counts related to forging and filing false documents to take deceased people\u2019s titles in Nassau and Queens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A company run by one of the pair pleaded guilty, too \u2014 to possession of stolen property and multiple forgery charges. The implicated real estate business will have to pay a $100,000 fine, and repay rents on the stolen properties. The other member of the pair, a landscaper, could be sentenced to a prison term of up to three years on January 30, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the would-be victims blew the whistle. As reported in the New York Daily News<\/em>, she got a bad feeling about one of the pair. He walked into a coffee shop to meet her wearing a crumpled suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An investigation began. The outcome? The D.A. in Queens, Melinda Katz, announced that the Queens Supreme Court has voided the faked deeds. The ripped-off families are now able to recover their assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Grim Robbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Starting in 2019 and continuing into 2023, per court documents, the pair was busy taking control of deeds. Their aim was to take homes and rent them out or sell them. Which homes did they target, and how?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The landscaper would scout for vacant homes. Empty homes would often turn out to be in some stage of foreclosure, or destined for the probate court. The pair would find relatives and check on the state of the house titles. They would then produce documents to fool these unsuspecting people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pair used stolen identities and forged property tax documents to transfer deeds. Prosecutors said one of them bought a notary stamp on Amazon.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deeds were placed under the name of that business, formed by the ex-lawyer and his spouse. The scammers might leave the prior owner holding a one-percent interest, while they signed 99% over to themselves. Or they would simply fake family members\u2019 signatures and notarize them with seals ordered under a real notary\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pi\u00e8ce de Resistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pi\u00e8ce de resistance,\u201d as one reporter wrote<\/a> from Queens, was that the former attorney \u201cused his own legitimate notary stamp on documents\u201d and the landscaper \u201cordered additional ones using the names of actual notaries, then filed the records with the city Department of Finance, according to the charges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one instance, a homeowner\u2019s nephew was in the home. So the fraud involved persuading the occupant to cut a deal with the fraudsters. The con artists didn\u2019t hesitate to evict residents who weren\u2019t useful to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They found distraught family members of deceased homeowners. Then they offered cash for the homes, promising to revive them from old debts and foreclosures. They got families to sign over power of attorney so deeds could be transferred into their own hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately they took control of a total of nine New York homes. They stole the ownership rights. They took homes away from heirs, away from families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crimefighters Strike Back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New York City sees this crime all too frequently. The city has set up an Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) to send out a Notice of Recorded Document<\/em><\/a> to title holders whenever a claim has been recorded on the title. Many counties have similar title alert systems now. (Dear homeowner: Sign up, if your county offers one!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how can acts of deed thievery be nipped in the bud? New York is working on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York State\u2019s Attorney General Leticia James is on a mission \u2014 to put an end to deed theft<\/a>. Referring to deed-snatching as \u201ca merciless crime,\u201d James has called out deed thieves who target older people, unprepared heirs, and the most vulnerable<\/a> mortgage borrowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, the state created an actual crime called deed theft<\/a> \u2014 so deed protection could become a priority. The law grants law enforcement more ways to head off bad actors. As the Attorney General announced in a press release:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new provisions\u2026help innocent homeowners. They provide guidance for suspending foreclosures pending deed theft investigations. And they assist in restoring title to the rightful homeowners.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so the New York State Legislature put A06656\/S6577 into the law books. Governor Hochul has now signed this law, along with a provision to strengthen prosecutors\u2019 authority to intervene in falsification of documents and unfair evictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some fraud targets end up pursuing\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>quiet title actions<\/em><\/strong><\/a> to restore their deeds. Learn more on Deeds.com.<\/strong><\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Meeting Their Match<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Queens County law enforcement saw the landscaper and lawyer coming. Now come the consequences. The county has announced that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n