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Daily News "Steals" Empire State Building to Teach Everyone a Lesson
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 3, 2008
Modified Dec 3, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 3, 2008
Modified Dec 3, 2008
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The Daily News has a clever little cover story today about how the tabloid "stole" the Empire State Building. Inspired by the Brooklyn DA's increasing number of deed fraud prosecutions, reporters decided to try the scam, which involves drawing up fake documents, making a bogus notary stamp and filing paperwork with the city to transfer the deed to the property. Grifters use the fraudulent deed to take out big mortgages, then disappear.
About an hour after filing the fraudulent documents Monday, the city register office—which doesn't require clerks to verify the information—approved the transfer of the $2 billion property from Empire State Land Associates to Nelots Properties LLC. The News giddily notes that Nelots is "stolen" spelled backward, their paperwork listed King Kong star Fay Wray as a witness, and famous bank robber Willie Sutton as notary. Very cute.
However, instead of taking out a lucrative mortgage on the property and solidifying their grip on a dying industry for a few more months, the paper returned the building to its rightful owners on Tuesday. Squares!
But thanks for sharing; who wants to get together and take over the building housing Love Saves the Day? Seems like a cinch, according to the article. In fact, the one item city employees do check is the notary stamp, but a lawyer tells the News, "They don't check to see if it's real, but they do check to see if it's there."
Tagged
daily news
deed
empire state building
false
fraud
mortgage
new york
nyc
paper
paperwork
stealing
stole
transfer
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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