A Kings Point, Long Island man faces a raft of charges after allegedly forging documents to steal two brownstones in Harlem worth more than $4 million, the New York Attorney General announced on Thursday.
Career criminal Joseph Makhani, 58, has been charged with one count of criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree concerning the brownstone located at 107 West 118th Street; one count of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree concerning the brownstone located at 135 West 131st Street; and one count of residential mortgage fraud in the first degree.
He was also slapped with one count of residential mortgage fraud in the second degree; two counts of falsifying business records submitted to a New York bank; and one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree between Aug. 7, 2012, and June 28, 2021, for engaging in a scheme constituting a systematic course of conduct to obtain property through fraudulent pretenses.
He pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The suspect, who was previously convicted in 1998 over his ties to a fraud scheme in Queens, allegedly used falsified deeds and other fake documents to steal a brownstone at 107 West 118th St. and another at 135 West 131st St, which is less than a block from the first property, according to the New York Post.
Makhani had battled legal actions tied to the properties from August 7, 2012, and June 28, 2021, claiming he was the legitimate owner of the Harlem brownstones.
The heist began when Makhani snatched the 118th Street building in Harlem from elderly disabled owner Ronald Stewart in 2012. He reportedly had filed taxes under claims he had paid just $10 for it before he separately averred paying $975,000 so he could obtain a $650,000 construction line of credit.
The suspect also moved to secure a $1.2 million mortgage loan by falsely claiming he owned the building. The victim Stewart shared the now $2.9 million worth townhouse with his daughter after inheriting it from his mother some five years earlier. He received the eviction papers via mail in March 2013.
Makhani would later renovate the swiped building in 2016. The creation of separate rental apartments allowed him to earn a monthly passive income amounting to $12,000.
Meanwhile, he acquired the 131st Street brownstone through a mix of "fraudulent deeds, shell companies, and strawman," according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Court documents indicate that the suspect approached a tenant of the property and obtained his signature by falsely claiming he was offering them a job in 2010 following the passing of its legitimate owner, Patch reported.
The conman proceeded to illegally use the signature to declare the tenant as the brownstone's owner. He would later file a fake deed of transfer to pass on the brownstone to his shell company, One 35 West Corporation.
Makhani would continue to lodge forged documents even after the tenant filed a legal action to dispute the deed.
In early 2015, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development slapped Makhani and his company with more than $1 million in fines for the building's dilapidated state, including roach infestations and a missing roof, subsequently forcing him to abandon the building.
According to court documents, the 107 West 118th St. building is still under the name of the suspect in recent times. Meanwhile, the 135 West 131st St property was repossessed and transferred to a not-for-profit in December 2018 following a tax foreclosure action due to unpaid tax liens. The property, which is now worth $1.9 million, is on the market.
"Deed theft continues to be a crime that permeates our neighborhoods and preys upon our most vulnerable, leading to a cycle of displacement and grief. New Yorkers should never have to fear that their homes will be targeted by predatory individuals." New York Attorney General James said in a press release.
Authorities noted that Makhani holds a long history of allegedly faking documents and preying on the vulnerable. He is slated to appear in court on Oct. 12.
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