Latest news with #VictorQuimis
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
New York attorney general announces 1st deed theft case under new law
Two people accused of stealing a dying woman's home have been indicted on multiple felonies in New York's first case of deed theft. Attorney General Letitia James says the case is the first of its kind brought under a new state law establishing deed theft as a crime and giving her office jurisdiction to prosecute. According to the 11-count indictment, Deepa Roy, 68, and Victor Quimis, 39, are accused of committing deed theft. Quimis was arrested earlier this week. Police are still looking for Roy. If convicted, they face up to 25 years behind bars. Kamal Bherwani says while his 88-year-old mother Renuka Bherwant was suffering from dementia and receiving hospice care, her home in Queens was stolen. "I was extremely angry," Bherwani said. "When your parent is robbed and they're [at the] end of life and they're near death, nothing is worse than that." Bherwani, who had power of attorney for his mother, said he found out about the alleged theft after opening mail sent to the home just before Christmas. It's alleged that in 2024, Roy and Quimis forged Renuka Bherwani's signature on documents, transferring ownership of the home to themselves. "The deed was notarized with a forged signature from a Nassau County notary, and they later forged additional documents, transferring ownership of home to an LLC, allowing Victor Quimis to take out a $552,000 mortgage on the property," James said. It's alleged he then stole more than $300,000 after paying off the prior mortgage and liens in his name. Back in 2020, in-home health aides started providing care to Renuka Bherwani and in 2022, when her husband passed away, it's alleged Roy began visiting her, telling the aides she was a friend and even trying to convince them to let her live in the home, which they denied. "She schemed for a long time to do this," Kamal Bherwani said, adding his mom wanted company. "It was a pure betrayal by her. We thought she was a friend of my mom. We never met her. She would always come when we're not there." Officials say deed theft is a growing problem. "You may have been able to get away with it in the past, but your time is up," state Sen. Zellnor Myrie said. Anyone who thinks they have been a victim of deed theft is encouraged to reach out to the New York Attorney General's Office by calling 1(800) 771-7755, emailing deedtheft@ or filing a confidential complaint.
New York Times
5 days ago
- New York Times
2 Charged With Stealing Home of Dying Woman, in a First Under New Law
Toward the end of Renuka Bherwani's life, as she was homebound in hospice care with advanced dementia, two people showed up at her Queens home claiming to be friends. Ms. Bherwani was 88 years old at the time. Her relatives said in court papers that they thought the newcomers wanted to comfort the dying woman. But instead, prosecutors said, the two people would go on to forge Ms. Bherwani's signature on several documents so they could take ownership of her two-story brick rowhouse in Kew Gardens Hills. It was a textbook example of the fraudulent practice known as 'deed theft,' prosecutors said. On Thursday, the case became a symbol of the push to fight back, as the two people, Deepa Roy and Victor Quimis, became the first suspects to be charged under a new state law that makes deed theft a form of grand larceny. Both Ms. Roy, 68, and Mr. Quimis, 39, face at least 10 charges, including first-degree grand larceny and residential mortgage fraud. Mr. Quimis, who also faces a charge of money laundering, was arrested on Monday, prosecutors said, and has been released without bail before trial. Ms. Roy is at large, and there is a warrant out for her arrest. Letitia James, the New York attorney general, was a co-author of the new law, known as the Heirs Property Protection and Deed Theft Prevention Act of 2024. On Thursday, Ms. James said that she would 'continue to use the law as both a sword and a shield to stop these despicable crimes and ensure this home is returned to the Bherwani family.' Ms. Bherwani died in June. But Ms. James said the home would be returned to the family after a conviction in the case. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
