24 May Man accused of stealing deeds to six homes, including mansion
On May 9, a New York man was indicted on multiple fraud charges. According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, the 36-year-old was accused of stealing six house titles that belonged to owners that had died or abandoned their properties.
Investigators reportedly became aware of suspicious activity in 2015 when a man posed as a deceased property owner in order to transfer the deed of a landmarked mansion to the accused party. The owner of the property, located on the 100 block of Washington Park, had passed away, but his elderly sister had continued to live in the home. She contacted investigators after receiving an eviction notice. They discovered that the same man had attempted to procure the deeds of five other properties using similar identity-theft scams.
These alleged fraud cases all reportedly occurred between 2015 and 2016. It appeared that the man used forged power of attorney documents to obtain the deeds to the different homes. He faces a total of 64 charges that include scheme to defraud, identity theft, grand larceny, forgery and criminal impersonation. If he is convicted of the charges, he could potentially face up to 25 years in jail. His bail was set at $200,000. He is scheduled to return to court on June 7.
Those who have been charged with identity theft, fraud or other white-collar crimes could potentially face severe legal consequences that include lengthy prison sentences and stiff penalties that may lead to bankruptcy. People who are being investigated for suspicion of fraud often want to keep it under wraps to prevent damaging their reputations or businesses. An accused individual may want to consider retaining the services of a criminal law attorney, who may negotiate with prosecutors and create a strong defense while the investigation is still underway.