Queens District Attorney Katz announced on February 3 that the Queens Supreme Court had ruled on January 28 to overturn two fraudulent property deeds and officially return two residences located in Queens Village and Kew Gardens Hills to their rightful owners.
According to the prosecution, the properties in question were targets of a deed theft scam. Individuals involved in the scheme illegally transferred property ownership through falsified documents and sold the houses to third parties. In the end, four defendants were convicted, including one individual with an unidentified identity who used multiple aliases, referred to as “John Doe.”
After the conviction of the defendants, the Queens District Attorney’s Office initiated judicial proceedings under Section 420.45 of the New York Criminal Procedure Law to successfully revoke the implicated property deeds. This marks the 11th time the office has utilized this legal provision since it was first implemented statewide in 2023 to directly assist victims in recovering stolen properties, relieving them from the burden of pursuing separate civil lawsuits.
Prosecutors revealed that last year, four individuals and three companies were charged with stealing three residences in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens Village, and Jamaica Estates, involving first and second-degree grand larceny, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, and other charges.
Defendants Torey Guice, Autumn Valeri, and Lawrence Ray pleaded guilty to charges such as falsifying business records, grand larceny, and conspiracy to commit fraud. They were sentenced to probation and agreed to revoke the fraudulent property deeds. Ray also forfeited over $400,000 in illegal proceeds. The fourth defendant, “John Doe,” was sentenced to 4.5 to 9 years in prison for grand larceny and identity theft. The three companies involved in the case have also pleaded guilty.
Authorities explained that in cases where some properties had already been sold to third parties, the direct revocation of fraudulent property deeds and restoration of legal rights was made possible through Section 420.45 of the Criminal Procedure Law. Since its establishment in 2020, the Queens District Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the Housing and Labor Protection Bureau, has assisted 23 families in reclaiming stolen residences.