A Harlem brownstone was allegedly stolen from the family of its late owner in a deed theft scam that netted the fraudsters more than $1.6 million, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Wednesday.
Prosecutors say three individuals and three companies falsified heir documents, forged signatures, and used the property to secure loans, all while the true owners were unaware of what was happening.
Angela Jazmin Ramos Malpica, 35, Yuan Kuei Li, 41, Abdur Rahman, 34, and the companies Great Neck Acquisitions Inc., White Lotus Consulting Inc., and Ocean Property and Trading Inc. are accused of working together to steal a brownstone at 267 West 131st Street and using it to obtain a mortgage and construction loan.
According to prosecutors, on April 18, 2024, Ramos posed as an heir of the late Okryun Marrero, who died in 20218, and “sold” the property to Li, who acted as a straw buyer. The deed included forged signatures of the Marrero family members. That same day, Li allegedly flipped the property to Rahman and his company for more than $1.5 million without any real money changing hands.
According to court documents, the stolen property was then used as collateral to secure a $1.6 million mortgage and construction loan. Ramos reportedly pocketed $254,875 in loan proceeds, while Rahman received $487,375 into a corporate account. Approximately $265,000 was sent to MSK Construction Team Inc., a company controlled by Li, to fund renovations on the brownstone.
Within a week, the deed and mortgage were officially recorded with the NYC Department of Finance, listing Rahman and his companies as the owners. Ms. Marrero had left her property, valued at $1 million, to her husband, children, and a grandchild.
“As alleged, six defendants worked together to take advantage of a grieving family, posing as heirs, and committing deed theft to steal their property. During a time when housing is scarce, I will not stand for fraudsters coming to Harlem to try and perpetrate these pernicious schemes,” Bragg said in a statement announcing the charges. “This type of alleged conduct preys on longtime New Yorkers, and we will prosecute those who take advantage of homeowners.”
The six defendants face charges including grand larceny, mortgage fraud, possession of stolen property, forgery, and identity theft. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may follow.
If convicted, the defendants face a potential sentence of up to 25 years in state prison. Bragg said the goal of the case is to return ownership to the rightful heirs.
“One outcome is that the ownership of the property go to the lawful heirs,” he said. “We’re at the beginning now, but that’s certainly an outcome that we see.”
Housing crimes
Speaking to amNewYork, Bragg said the alleged fraud came to light after the Marrero family reported it through the office’s housing fraud hotline.
“It came into our hotline, which encourages people to reach out whether it’s happening or they suspect tips,” he said.
He said the family was “rightful heirs to the property” who had long been trying to legally inherit it.
“This conduct, we allege, happened completely unbeknownst to them, and depriving them of what is, we contend, rightfully theirs,” he said.
Bragg declined to share details about how the Marrero family discovered the alleged fraud but said homeowners can check the city’s Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) database to monitor property records and ownership changes. He also recommended regular credit checks to detect potential financial fraud.
He urged anyone suspecting deed fraud to contact the Housing & Tenant Protection Unit at 212-335-3300 or Danyhousing@dany.nyc.gov. The unit, launched in 2022, focuses on protecting tenants, investigating deed theft, and cracking down on scams targeting property owners.
Deed theft occurs when someone illegally transfers property without the homeowner’s knowledge or consent. Fraudsters often forge the owner’s signature on a new deed and file it with the county clerk, or they trick homeowners with fake refinancing deals, equity-stripping schemes, or foreclosure bailout loans.
According to the DA, housing-related crimes have become increasingly common amid New York’s limited housing supply.
“Whenever there’s a tight market, a scarcity of housing … it’s sort of fertile ground for people engaging in fraud to exploit limited opportunity for folks,” Bragg said, citing recent cases involving fake real estate brokers and landlord harassment.
A law passed in 2024 made deed theft a criminal offense and extended the statute of limitations, allowing prosecution within five years of the theft or within two years after the homeowner discovers the fraud, whichever comes later. The law also grants the Attorney General broader authority to pursue deed theft cases, which were previously not considered a crime.
Bragg noted that the 2024 state law will be a “good tool” for the DA’s office moving forward, but that the alleged conduct in the Marrero case occurred before it took effect.
The DA said he has seen the impact of deed theft firsthand.
“I grew up in Central Harlem. My parents owned a brownstone, and particularly as my mother was getting older, suffering from Alzheimer’s, you’d see people targeting the property,” he said. “People need to know about this issue … and I want people who are thinking about engaging in this kind of fraud to know that there’s accountability and potential criminal penalties, including incarceration.”
