Deed Fraud

Various Cases of Deed Fraud Across the U.S.

1. Woman reports her Youngstown, Ohio house was stolen; Mahoning County Auditor Ralph Meacham says reports of deed fraud becoming more common. View full story: https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/youngstown-news/woman-reports-her-youngstown-house-was-stolen-auditor-says-reports-of-deed-fraud-becoming-more-common/

2. Reports indicate that two individuals in Queens, New York were charged with stealing a dead woman’s property through deed theft.

Deepa Roy, 68, and Victor Quimis, 39, are accused of forging the signature of Renuka Bherwani, who was receiving hospice care, to transfer ownership of her home and then take out a half-million dollar mortgage, according to the New York Attorney General Letitia James.
They are the first to be prosecuted under new felony laws empowering the attorney general to prosecute deed theft cases.
The victim’s son discovered the deed theft while opening mail at his mother’s home.
The family has also filed civil lawsuits against Roy and Quimis, according to WKBN.com.
A new law in New York that went into effect in 2024 criminalizes deed theft as a form of grand larceny and extends the length of time prosecutors and homeowners can take legal action, according to FOX8 WGHP.