New York AG charges suspect in alleged deed theft involving 92-year-old homeowner

New York Attorney General Letitia James has charged a Queens resident with allegedly stealing the Brooklyn home and savings of a 92-year-old woman with dementia, in a case highlighting how deed theft continues to strip home equity and housing security from elderly homeowners in New York City.

On Thursday, James’ office announced the arrest and indictment of Mark Salkey, 58, for allegedly stealing the East Flatbush, Brooklyn, home of 92-year-old homeowner Althea Garrick while she was receiving dementia care in her house, according to a press from the AG’s office.

Between 2022 and 2024, Salkey allegedly used forged documents, including a forged deed, to transfer ownership of Garrick’s longtime home to his company, Salkey Salkey & Associates Inc., the attorney general said. Garrick has owned the property since 1976 and became sole owner in 1998.

Prosecutors allege that once he recorded the deed, Salkey moved multiple unauthorized tenants into the property — including his sister — and charged each between $2,000 and $2,200 per month in rent, collecting about $70,000 while Garrick and her ex-husband were left to live in a small bedroom in the home they had owned for decades.

The home was valued at about $950,000 when it was allegedly stolen in 2023 and is now worth more than $1 million, the AG’s office said.

In addition to the real estate transfer, Salkey is accused of draining Garrick’s savings by liquidating her bank accounts using forged checks, allegedly stealing about $148,000. He also allegedly took about $20,000 from her ex-husband’s pension deposits. Investigators say the funds went toward a range of personal expenses, including credit card bills, college tuition, luxury retail purchases, rental cars, clothing, nail salon visits and airfare.

Salkey was arrested June 23 and charged with 23 crimes — including grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a forged instrument, forgery, offering a false instrument for filing and falsifying business records. If convicted on the top count, he faces a maximum sentence of eight to 25 years in prison.

“If these allegations are true, this is one of the most disturbing examples of deed theft I’ve seen because the victim was allegedly exploited while living with dementia,” Tanya Hobson-Williams, founder of New York-based elder law firm Hobson-Williams PC, said in a statement.

“This wasn’t simply financial fraud. It was the theft of a person’s home, dignity and security.”

Ongoing deed theft concerns, enforcement push

The case underscores how deed theft and related fraud schemes continue to target elderly, Black and immigrant homeowners in New York City’s highest-appreciating neighborhoods. For real estate agents, mortgage lenders and title companies, the indictment is another warning that forged deeds, fraudulent powers of attorney and unauthorized tenants are not edge cases but ongoing operational and compliance risks.

State lawmakers and local officials have identified deed theft as a contributor to displacement and the erosion of generational wealth in communities of color. The concentration of cases in areas like Central Brooklyn — where home values have climbed sharply over the past decade — raises the stakes for verifying seller identity, confirming chain of title, and scrutinizing unusual ownership changes involving seniors or properties in probate or distress.

James has made deed theft enforcement a priority in recent years and has pushed for stronger statutory tools to prosecute fraudulent transfers. The AG’s office noted other recent cases:

• September 2025: A former Rockland County real estate agent pleaded guilty after forging a homeowner’s signature to take title without her knowledge.
• August 2025: Two people were indicted for allegedly stealing the home of an elderly widow in Queens while she received end-of-life hospice care.
• February 2025: Charges were announced against a Queens woman accused of stealing her elderly neighbor’s home and funds.
• October 2024: James and Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark announced the arrests of three alleged real estate scammers accused of stealing more than $250,000 and attempting to take a Bronx resident’s childhood home.

In April, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the creation of the city’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention, a new unit housed in the Department of Finance to coordinate citywide efforts to combat fraudulent property transfers.

The mayor also named Peter White — an attorney with Access Justice Brooklyn who has spent years representing homeowners facing foreclosure and alleged deed theft — as the office’s first director. White is expected to reshape the city’s strategy on early detection of deed fraud, homeowner assistance and integration of the state’s enforcement tools.

“The theft of a home is the theft of a family’s future,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Deed theft preys on the New Yorkers who can least afford it. Today, we are bringing the full force of City government to bear to stop it — to protect homeowners, defend generational wealth and make clear that this City will not tolerate the exploitation of our communities.”

Combating fraud in the courts

Hobson-Williams said the case reflects a rise in deed theft schemes that target senior homeowners, particularly those living alone or experiencing cognitive declines. Her firm shared data on how these crimes have become more prevalent.

• Nearly 3,500 deed theft complaints were filed across New York state between 2014 and 2023.
• Another 517 complaints were reported in 2025 alone, with Brooklyn and Queens among the hardest-hit boroughs.
• Nationally, 63% of Realtors reported deed theft activity in their markets — a share that jumped to 92% in the Northeast, according to the National Association of Realtors.
• About 12% of reported cases involve owner-occupied homes.

Communities of color have been disproportionately affected, Hobson-Williams said, particularly in neighborhoods where families have accumulated significant home equity over generations.

Hobson-Williams said she has represented multiple deed theft victims and recently secured a court victory that restored ownership of a Brooklyn home to a senior with dementia after it had been transferred through a defective power of attorney.

In that case, Kings County Supreme Court Justice Joy Campanelli ruled that the purchaser was not a bona fide purchaser for value and ordered the property returned to its rightful owner.

“The legal system can correct these injustices, but victims often don’t discover the theft until months or years later,” Hobson-Williams said. “By then, properties may have been sold multiple times, making recovery far more difficult.”

She went on to praise James and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for increased enforcement against deed theft but said additional legislative safeguards are needed for elderly homeowners with dementia and other cognitive impairments.

“We need stronger legal protections before these crimes happen — not just prosecutions afterward,” Hobson-Williams said. “Seniors living with dementia or other cognitive challenges are uniquely vulnerable to deed theft. New York should create enhanced criminal penalties when these crimes target elderly or cognitively impaired homeowners and implement additional safeguards that make fraudulent property transfers much more difficult.”

This article was written by Neil Pierson and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation, then reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.