Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mamdani announces deed theft prevention office in wake of NYC councilmember’s arrest
By
David Brand
Published Apr 24, 2026
Modified Apr 24, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By
David Brand
Published Apr 24, 2026
Modified Apr 24, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is establishing a new office to fight deed theft in the wake of the violent arrest of a New York City councilmember who was protesting outside a brownstone that residents say was stolen.
Mamdani’s formation of the new Office of Deed Theft Prevention comes two days after Councilmember Chi Ossé was arrested outside a Bed-Stuy brownstone at 212 Jefferson Ave. while attempting to stop the eviction of a resident who claimed she was the rightful owner of the home.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and the limited liability company that purchased the property say it is not a case of theft. But the protest and arrest renewed focus on common tactics used to pry valuable homes from longtime owners, especially in the city’s predominantly Black neighborhoods. Investors frequently target heirs with partial shares in a property to force a sale or exploit family disputes following an owner’s death. At times, real estate speculators use deceit and even forgery to obtain properties they can resell for much higher amounts.
The practices have remained a chronic problem, especially in areas like Central Brooklyn and Southeast Queens where home values have soared. City and state officials received about 3,500 complaints of deed theft between 2014 and 2023, Ossé and other councilmembers wrote in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year.
Mamdani said Friday that the state received another 517 complaints of deed theft last year, mostly concentrated in Brooklyn and Queens.
“Deed theft not only disproportionately robs Black and brown New Yorkers of their homes, it also robs them of the stability that their homes provide,” Mamdani said. “City government has too often stood idly by while deed theft occurs, rather than acting to prevent it. We are bringing that era to an end.”
Attorneys and homeowner advocates say complex ownership histories, murky transaction records and a financial imbalance between thieves and their victims can make prosecution difficult and fraud hard to prove.
Mamdani pledged to establish the new office while running for mayor last year and said it would have the power to investigate fraud claims and intervene to halt evictions while complaints are investigated. He said the office would also conduct outreach to vulnerable homeowners, such as seniors, and fund a program to help homeowners and their heirs create a clear chain of ownership.
A City Hall spokesperson said the office will be housed in the Department of Finance and coordinate outreach and enforcement efforts through the city’s finance, housing and human rights agencies.
Mamdani has appointed veteran homeowner attorney Peter White to head the office. White most recently served as a supervising lawyer in the Homeowner Assistance Program at the nonprofit Access Justice Brooklyn, where he represented homeowners facing foreclosure or at-risk of deed fraud or theft.
White did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He described the challenge of cracking down on deed fraud and the need for more government intervention at an event hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso last year.
“Combatting deed theft is resource intensive for legal service providers and therefore, long-standing, committed support is essential,” he said.
State lawmakers have enacted new measures that impose stiffer penalties on those convicted of deed theft, allow district attorneys to flag questionable transactions and limit the ability of real estate speculators to purchase small shares in a property and then force a sale.
Attorney General Letitia James urged state lawmakers to create “cease and desist zones” in Central Brooklyn to prohibit real estate investors from soliciting or harassing homeowners, and to establish a right to an attorney in foreclosure cases.
"Deed theft does not occur in isolation. It is tied to a broader web of predatory practices,” James said. “Illegal evictions, deed theft and abusive partition practices force too many families out of their homes that they have owned for generations. We saw the result of these scams on Wednesday."
Ossé has urged Hochul to take additional action by halting evictions from properties subject to deed theft complaints or during legal disputes to prevent rightful owners from being kicked out of the homes before they make their legal case.
“Let’s call it what it is: an epidemic,” Osse said of deed theft on Friday. “Central Brooklyn has become a war zone for solicitors, shady LLCs and bad actors who circle legacy homes like vultures.”
The new office, he said, “sends a clear message” to scammers and investors: “New York will not allow homes to be stolen through paperwork or pressure, or turned into speculative chips in someone else’s portfolio.”
This story has been updated.
Tagged
Zohran Mamdani
housing
new york city
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .