Confusion Over Deed Theft Claims in Brooklyn

The issue surrounding a Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone’s ownership has taken an interesting turn. Mayor Zoran Mamdani, alongside Attorney General Letitia James and City Councilman Chi Ose, recently announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Deed Theft. This came just two days after Ose’s controversial arrest during an anti-eviction protest at the property.

Ose, known for his active online presence, has claimed that a woman he was assisting was a victim of deed theft, a claim that the Audit Office has rejected.

During an event in Brooklyn, James seemed to support the notion of deed theft, stating, “We saw the results of these scams not far from here on Wednesday, which is why we established the Homeowner Protection Program.” However, when pressed by reporters, her explanation got a bit convoluted.

“Technically speaking, it wasn’t deed theft. It stemmed from deed theft,” she said. “And we’ve been on that case for a while. We’ve analyzed it.” It appears she wants to emphasize the ongoing nature of these issues while acknowledging the need to spotlight deed theft.

On the day of the protest, Ose and three others faced arrest after a tense standoff outside the brownstone, where city marshals were prepared to carry out a legal eviction.

Ose has alleged that he suffered a concussion from his encounter with the police, while his constituent, Carmela Charrington, insists she was unjustly evicted due to deed theft claims.

Nonetheless, James’s office conducted an investigation and concluded that the matter was a property dispute among heirs of the house’s former owner. Historical records indicate a sketchy past for the property, which was ultimately purchased by 227 Group LLC for $1.4 million, a transaction sanctioned by a guardian of Charrington’s father, who has Alzheimer’s.

Charrington contends that the guardian acted illegally by agreeing to the purchase and failed to provide clarity on how the $1.4 million was spent.

Charrington had been ordered to bring her father to court but was unable to do so, resulting in a five-day contempt sentence at Rikers Island. Coincidentally, she was released just before the eviction attempt by city authorities, leading to protests and Ose’s efforts to obstruct the eviction.

Representatives of 227 Group LLC have strongly denied the accusations of deed theft. After Mamdani’s announcement, James’s office did not address her confusing remarks regarding deed theft.

The Attorney General has stated that generational displacement, especially affecting Black and brown families, is a crisis she has been tackling for years. Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer acknowledged the seriousness of deed theft but criticized Ose’s large protests as merely a political maneuver.

Mamdani’s new office will be spearheaded by nonprofit lawyer Peter White, an activist focused on legal housing matters. He thanked James and State Senator Zellner Miley for making deed theft a crime in New York in 2023.

However, the newly established Deed Theft Prevention Bureau, under the City Finance Department, may lack significant power, as state law grants exclusive jurisdiction over deed theft cases to the Attorney General’s office.