D.A. Bragg Announces Indictment For Deed Theft Scheme: Charges Against 3 Individuals & 3 Companies For Stealing Harlem Brownstone From Family Of Deceased Owner

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced charges against three individuals and three companies for allegedly working together to steal a Harlem brownstone by posing as the heir of the deceased owner of the building and committing deed fraud. The defendants allegedly acquired ownership of the building and fraudulently obtained a mortgage and construction loan to renovate the property so they could sell it for profit.

ANGELA JAZMIN RAMOS MALPICA ("RAMOS"), 35, YUAN KUEI LI ("LI"), 41, ABDUR RAHMAN, 34, and GREAT NECK ACQUISITIONS INC ("GNA"), WHITE LOTUS CONSULTING INC. ("WLC"), and OCEAN PROPERTY AND TRADING INC. ("OPT"), are charged with acting in concert in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count each of Grand Larceny in the First Degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree, Mortgage Fraud in the First Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, and four counts of Identity Theft in the First Degree. [1]

"As alleged, six defendants worked together to take advantage of a grieving family, posing as heirs, and committing deed theft to steal their property. During a time when housing is scarce, I will not stand for fraudsters coming to Harlem to try and perpetrate these pernicious schemes. This type of alleged conduct preys on longtime New Yorkers, and we will prosecute those who take advantage of homeowners," said District Attorney Bragg. "If you or someone you know suspects deed fraud, please contact our Housing and Tenant Protection Unit at 212-335-3300 or email [email protected]."

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, in 2018, the owner of a brownstone on West 131^st Street, Okryun Marrero, passed away, and left her property to her husband, children, and grandchild. The home was valued at over $1 million.

On April 18, 2024, RAMOS posed as an heir of the owners, to purportedly sell the property to LI for $950,000, who posed as a straw buyer.

RAMOS allegedly signed multiple documents related to the sale and transfer of the property, including the contract of sale and the deed. The deed allegedly contained the purported signatures and personal identifying information of other members of the Marrero family. No one in the Marrero family - the true owners of the property - signed the deed or gave permission or authority to anyone to sign on their behalf.

On the same day that LI purported to buy the property, he allegedly sold it to RAHMAN and GNA, a company that RAHMAN controls, for $1,515,000. Yet neither RAHMAN nor GNA ever paid LI for the property, and LI never paid $950,000 to acquire the property. Instead, the defendants allegedly used the stolen property as collateral to obtain a mortgage and construction loan in the total amount of $1,636,000.

In GNA's application and closing documents for the mortgage, GNA listed RAHMAN, WLC and OPT as guarantors on the loan.

On or about April 25, 2024, the deed and the mortgage were recorded with the New York City Department of Finance Office of the City Register, listing GNA as the owner, with RAHMAN signing on behalf of the company.

RAMOS subsequently cashed three checks totaling $254,875.03, which were funds obtained from the mortgage and construction loan. RAHMAN allegedly received $487,375 from the construction loan into GNA's bank account, which he controlled. Rahman also sent approximately $265,000 of the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds to a corporate bank account for MSK Construction Team Inc ("MSK"), a construction company controlled by LI. LI, through MSK, allegedly used portions of that money to pay for ongoing construction on the alleged stolen property, for which LI was serving as the contractor.

Manhattan D.A.'s Housing & Tenant Protection Unit

In October 2022, District Attorney Bragg launched the Office's first-ever Housing & Tenant Protection Unit, which targets systemic criminal harassment of tenants and abuse of government programs by landlords and developers. Areas of focus are harassment of rent-regulated tenants, deed fraud, and defrauding of government subsidy programs by landlords and developers. The Unit focuses on long-term investigations into systemic, structural, and organized criminal activity among landlords and developers.

Tips and complaints can be submitted to the Unit's helpline at 212-335-3300 or email [email protected]. The Office is a safe place to report crime regardless of your immigration status.

Assistant D.A. Chikaelo Ibeabuchi (Chief of the Housing & Tenant Protection Unit) is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant DAs Hope Korenstein (Deputy Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Kofi Sansculotte (Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division).

The following members of the D.A.'s Office provided valuable assistance during the investigation: The Financial Frauds Bureau's Victoria Grevenberg (Housing Coordinator), Sofia Albi (HTPU Analyst), Jalynn Thompson (Trial Preparation Assistant), Varun Giatonde (Former Trial Preparation Assistant); The Forensic Accounting & Financial Investigations Bureau's Lisa Gillen (Supervising Forensic Account Investigator), Irene Serrapica (Principal Deputy Bureau Chief), and Robert Demarest (Bureau Chief); Investigation Bureau's Luis Chuquiralao (Rackets Investigator), Miguel Pena (Assistant Supervising Rackets Investigator), Max Adler (Supervising Rackets Investigator), and Jonathan Reid (Acting Chief); Privilege Review Unit's Olivia Savell (Supervising Financial Privilege Review Data Specialist) and Caroline Serino (Unit Chief).

D.A. Bragg thanked the Department of Investigation, Department of Buildings, and NYC Department of Finance for their assistance in the investigation.

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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.