{"id":7142,"date":"2026-01-10T07:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=7142"},"modified":"2026-01-10T07:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:59:02","slug":"keeping-ahead-of-the-deed-snatchers-from-albany-to-honolulu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/keeping-ahead-of-the-deed-snatchers-from-albany-to-honolulu\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Ahead of the Deed Snatchers, From Albany to Honolulu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Your deed<\/a> is precious. Just ask anyone who may have lost theirs to criminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve recently seen multiple governments responding to deed crimes. Actions span the country, from Albany to Honolulu \u2014 and places in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what\u2019s new, and what might keep a frightening fate from befalling your deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Albany County, New York Holds First-Ever Deed Theft Trials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In December 2025, New York\u2019s capital region experienced a novel legal spectacle. A suspect from Guilderland, in Albany County, was found guilty of taking someone else\u2019s deed. After a three-day trial, a jury quickly found Jorge M. guilty of committing grand larceny using a forged instrument. The perpetrator forged a deed in an attempt to take ownership of a home he was renting. He used false identifying details that actually belonged to his stepfather. He faces up to 10 years imprisonment at the sentencing, which is scheduled for February 19, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under New York state\u2019s previous law, deed theft was not categorized as larceny; now, the penal code names deed theft as a form of grand larceny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few months earlier, a court sentenced Roalynda L. to a five-year probation period and demanded restitution for the damage caused in the theft of three deeds in Cohoes, also in Albany County. The Albany County District Attorney’s office called that the \u201cfirst deed theft case in the office\u2019s modern era.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The indictment had also charged the suspect with grand larceny, filing a false Instrument, and criminal possession of a forged instrument, as well as identity theft. Roalynda and similarly convicted people could face up to 30 years in state prison under the new law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These crimes are being addressed in collaboration with the state\u2019s deed theft task force. In 2023, New York established that task force and announced the insertion of <\/strong><\/em>deed theft<\/em><\/strong><\/a> into the criminal code.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaii Lawmaker Proposes a \u201cSimple Fix\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Often, false notarizations turn up in cases of deed fraud. The notary\u2019s identity could be misused, along with the identifying information of the targeted deed holder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And beautiful Hawaii is not immune to the impacts of notary forgery. Numerous households have lost thousands of dollars trying to correct forged deeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even amateur criminals can set up a signing, and record a deed, reporters found. Yet reclaiming ownership of a wrongly transferred deed tends to take years in local court systems, if it happens at all. In one recent case, the family struggled with the legal process while the property was sold and the house burned down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a news outlet ran an investigation into loopholes in Hawaii\u2019s deed recording system, one lawmaker proposed a solution to derail the deed bandits. State Representative Scot Matayoshi, who chairs the House Consumer Protection Committee, wants the Bureau of Conveyances to have power to revoke any home\u2019s deed if the notary confirms they did not, in fact, witness the signing. It would be an easy fix, Matayoshi believes. Granted, this won\u2019t end all deed theft in the state. But in cases of notarization forgery, \u201cit\u2019ll allow the Bureau a quick way to eliminate that document\u201d and clear the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matayoshi also wants to grant deed holders the ability to freeze their titles. This is interesting. It would build deed holder confidence, and reduce the power of deed theft prevention businesses (the so-called \u201ctitle lock\u201d companies) to stimulate fear to sell a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appreciation goes out to Hawaii News Now <\/em>reporters for their work leading up to the proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>quitclaim deed<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is a good tool when appropriately used, but dangerous in the wrong hands. And deed forgery can even involve <\/strong><\/em>warranty deeds<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other States We\u2019re Watching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Georgia<\/strong>, lawmakers have acted. The revised Georgia law<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n