QUEENS, NY — Christopher Williams, a 43-year-old resident of Morgan Avenue in Brooklyn, has been sentenced to two to four years in prison for stealing the home of an elderly widow by fraudulently posing as her son. Queens Supreme Court Justice Leigh K. Cheng issued the sentence yesterday, marking a significant step in combating deed theft.
To expedite justice, Justice Cheng approved a motion by the Queens District Attorney’s office to immediately restore the stolen property’s deed to the rightful owner. This decision utilized a state statute first successfully employed by District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office earlier this year to return a St. Albans home to a disabled veteran.
Williams pleaded guilty to identity theft in the first degree and offered a false instrument for filing in the second degree. The charges detailed that Williams, in August 2021, used forged documents, including phony birth and death certificates, to claim ownership of a property in Jamaica, Queens falsely. He sold the property for $270,000 and cashed in over $200,000.
District Attorney Katz emphasized the significance of this case, stating, “We will not allow criminals to scheme and scam their way into other people’s properties, and we will use every tool available to ensure that victims are made whole.” She highlighted the challenges faced by communities targeted by deed fraud, particularly those unable to afford legal representation against well-resourced mortgage companies and banks.