US EditionDuo Accused of Stealing Elderly Woman’s Queens Home: AG
KEW GARDENS HILLS, QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY, AUG 7 – Two defendants face multiple felony charges for forging documents to steal an elderly widow's home and secure a $552,500 mortgage under New York's new deed theft law.
- On August 7, 2025, criminal charges were brought against Deepa Roy and Victor Quimis for unlawfully taking ownership of a Queens elderly woman’s home, marking the first prosecution under the state’s new deed theft law as announced by the New York Attorney General.
- The charges followed discovery in December 2024 by the victim's son and daughter-in-law of forged deed documents transferring ownership without consent while the victim was in hospice care.
- Roy, 68, and Quimis, 39, allegedly forged Renuka Bherwani’s signature to transfer her home, took out a $552,500 mortgage, and pocketed $312,000 after paying liens.
- Attorney General James emphasized her commitment to leveraging the law aggressively to recover the property for the Bherwani family, noting that deed theft is an increasingly common crime.
- Quimis was taken into custody on August 4 and has entered a plea of not guilty; Roy remains on the run. Both individuals are charged with multiple offenses, including major theft, fraudulent mortgage activities, and illegal financial transactions under New York’s recently enacted deed theft legislation.
13 Articles
13 Articles
NYC duo takes over dying widow’s house while she is on hospice, but snail mail letter exposes scheme: officials
A scheming duo took over a dying elderly woman’s Queens home while she was on hospice care — but her family uncovered the fraud with a congratulatory piece of mail, officials said Thursday. Deepa Roy, 68, and Victor Quimis, 39, forged Renuka Bherwani’s signature to “steal” the Kew Gardens Hills house she had lived in...
Duo accused of stealing elderly woman’s Queens home: AG
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – A man accused of stealing an elderly woman's home by forging her signature is the first such arrest under a new deed theft law, Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday. Victor Quimis, 39, was arrested on Monday in relation to the scheme that started in 2022. His associate, Deepa Roy, 68, has not yet been apprehended, but allegedly played a key role in the theft, James said. More Local News Roy and Quimis a…
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