July 19, 2024

My office recently secured a prison sentence for a Long Island man who stole an East Elmhurst home from its elderly owner by using forged documents to facilitate the transaction.

The defendant obtained identifying information about the rightful owner such as her date of birth and Social Security number and then created a fake New York state driver’s license in her name and filed a forged deed. He also forged a power of attorney form, which allowed him to sell the home for $320,000 to a developer. 

Having achieved justice in this case, we will be filing a motion and conducting a hearing to apply a state statute to restore the deed to its rightful owner, sparing the victim the time and expense of additional legal proceedings in civil court.

I created a Housing and Worker Protection Bureau for a specific reason - to investigate and prosecute bad actors who want to steal people’s most valuable asset, their home.

My top priority will always be keeping you and your loved ones safe.

In Friendship,

Melinda Katz

Queens District Attorney

• An alleged vandal was charged with a felony hate crime for a targeted attack on a religious statue outside Holy Family Roman Catholic Church on June 30.
• A Jamaica man was sentenced to 36 years in prison for killing a 39-year-old man in 2020 in a dispute over money and for fatally shooting another man in 2021 outside a liquor store in South Ozone Park.
• A Queens Village man was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on murder, assault and weapon charges in the fatal stabbing of a 40-year-old man inside a Jamaica deli on June 22. 

If you have information regarding the death of Denise Sheehy, who went missing from Woodside 54 years ago, contact NYPD Crimestoppers by calling 800-577-TIPS, or through the online form.

It is never too late for justice.

100th Precinct Visit

Members of my Community Partnerships Division recently met with Captain Carlos Rendon, executive officer of the 100th Precinct on the Rockaway peninsula.

They had a productive discussion about community concerns and future opportunities for collaboration. Thank you to the leaders of the precinct for hosting us.

Mobile Office Hours

My team visited Queens Public Library at Peninsula in Rockaway Beach to host another successful mobile office event.

I'm proud of my team for their hard work in organizing these events throughout Queens, which present a great opportunity for residents to learn about the services we provide.

Elder Fraud Presentation

Members of my office routinely visit senior centers to provide information on the latest trends in scams and fraudulent behavior.

Assistant District Attorney Carolynn Fitzgerald, supervisor in the Elder Fraud Unit in my office, recently met with seniors at the Selfhelp Clearview Older Adult Center in Bayside and shared helpful tips to avoid falling victim.