An organized ring of attorneys, actual property brokers and members of Councilmember Darlene Mealy’s household crafted an elaborate deed theft scheme, posing as heirs of the deceased proprietor of a Harlem brownstone to acquire greater than $1.6 million in fraudulent financial institution loans, Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg alleged Thursday.
Bragg introduced fees in opposition to 18 individuals and three shell firms. The defendants embrace 4 members of the Mealy clan — Joseph Mealy, Jacob Mealy, Mathew Tyreek Mealy and Anita (Mealy) Davis — who allegedly joined with different conspirators to pose as heirs to Okryun Marrero, the deceased proprietor of a four-bedroom, 2,888 sq. foot brownstone on West 131st St. that’s at present itemizing for $2 million.
“Eighteen people went to excessive lengths to use a grieving household by allegedly conspiring to promote the household’s brownstone with out their permission and fraudulently get hold of a mortgage for revenue,” Bragg mentioned in an announcement, saying the work of his Housing and Tenant Safety Unit.
Based on the indictment, the Mealy relations and others accomplished a fraudulent switch of the deed, claimed possession of the property, then “offered” it to a fellow-conspirator for $950,000.
That co-conspirator then assigned his contract rights to a different defendant for $1.5 million — the identical day. These gross sales by no means truly occurred, however the conspirators then used the property as collateral to acquire a mortgage and a building mortgage that the defendants funneled into accounts they managed, prosecutors allege.
At a day press convention, Bragg characterised deed theft as “pernicious fraud that targets probably the most weak inhabitants — older adults.” Concerning the Metropolis Council member’s family, he mentioned: “My understanding is that there’s a relation there. We deal with them for his or her conduct on this case. That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
Councilmember Mealy, a Brooklyn Democrat whose district consists of consists of Brownsville, Bushwick, Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens, wasn’t charged. She didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The fees embrace first-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree conspiracy and first-degree possession of stolen property. The defendants have been anticipated to be arraigned in Manhattan felony court docket late Thursday.
Three of the defendants have been initially charged in October, however the DA’s workplace continued to research and found what officers described as a wide-ranging conspiracy that concerned a dozen extra gamers.
The defendants even allegedly staged an in-person closing, with conspirators who have been attorneys “representing” each the vendor and purchaser within the bogus transaction and one other posing as an actual property dealer for the client, regardless that he didn’t have a dealer’s license, prosecutors mentioned.
Final month Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched a brand new workplace to fight deed theft following reporting by THE CITY and others on current scams.
