US EditionNYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Launches Office of Deed Theft Prevention
The office will coordinate with city agencies and prosecutors and starts with $500,000 in this fiscal year, officials said.
- On Friday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched the Office of Deed Theft Prevention, housed within the Department of Finance to investigate fraud, educate homeowners, and help victims recover stolen property.
- The initiative follows the Wednesday arrest of Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé during an eviction protest, as officials reported more than 3,500 deed theft complaints between 2013 and 2023.
- Peter White, a former Access Justice Brooklyn attorney, will lead the office with a three-pronged strategy: identifying deed fraud, preventing scams, and helping victims recover stolen homes.
- The administration also announced a six-month pause on the city's tax lien sale to review a system where unpaid property debts can lead to foreclosure and displacement.
- New York Attorney General Letitia James called deed theft a "heartless crime" tied to predatory practices, urging state lawmakers to establish "cease and desist zones" in Central Brooklyn.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Days after Chi Osse's arrest, Mamdani launches Deed Theft Prevention Office in continued outreach to Black communities
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has established an official Deed Theft Prevention Office, another extension of his work toward the Black community.
After Councilman Arrest, NYC Mayor Mamdani Creates Office to Fight Deed Theft
Two days after New York police arrested a city councilman protesting the planned eviction one of his constituents alleging “deed theft,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani created an office in city government to combat the form of fraud where property ownership is illegally transferred without consent. Deed theft often involves forgery, such as when a scammer fakes a homeowner’s signature and then files a fake deed with the county clerk. It can also …
As Mamdani creates office to curb deed theft, City Council lays out plan to build homes
New York City is taking action in the ongoing housing crisis, with City Council laying out a plan that could lead to the construction of thousands of new apartments, and the mayor announcing a new plan to fight an issue some have called an "epidemic" in the city: deed theft.
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