Queens DA Melinda Katz (Flickr: Melinda Katz)
July 12, 2022 By Czarinna Andres
Two men face up to 15 years in prison for allegedly stealing a deceased woman’s East Elmhurst home through the use of fraudulent documents and a bogus corporation.
Jorge Vasquez Jr., 40, of Baldwin, NY, and Andy V Singh, 34, of the Bronx, were indicted by a Queens County grand jury Monday for allegedly acting in concert to impersonate the deceased homeowner, as well as her son, to fraudulently sell the house.
The pair allegedly sold the house to an illegitimate company they created called 23-41 100th Street Corp.
“As alleged, these defendants conspired to steal a home left behind by a deceased homeowner and proceeded to sell the property to a sham corporation,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “Deed fraud is a growing challenge within Queens County, but those who choose to victimize others for their own financial gain will be held to account.”
Vasquez and Singh have been hit with a 10-count indictment. They have been charged with grand larceny, identity theft, falsifying business records, criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of stolen property, offering a false instrument for filing, and conspiracy. Their bogus company has also been indicted.
According to court documents, the property owner passed away in 2019, leaving behind a son—who was the rightful heir.
The son grew suspicious in October 2021 when an e-mail sent by his late mother’s mortgage company notified him that the contact information pertaining to the loan had changed. He reached out to the mortgage company to inquire about the unauthorized change and was informed the loan had recently been paid off.
The son then visited the house and he saw workers doing construction on the property and removing his personal belongings, including childhood photo albums, and putting them in a dumpster in front of the property. He then called the District Attorney’s office.
About a month late, on Nov. 8, 2021, a fraudulent deed was recorded with the city register, which stated that the property had been sold for $530,000 on Oct. 4 by Jorge Vasquez “as sole heir” of the deceased property owner. The buyer was listed as 23-41 100th Street Corp., for which Singh is the sole shareholder and chairman.
Katz said that Singh had made several calls to the mortgage company prior to the sale where he claimed to be the son of the deceased property owner. He allegedly provided the bank with the son’s first name as well as the deceased owner’s full name and social security number.
The defendants then used fraudulent documents when the sale was made, providing the title company with a bogus death certificate for the deceased owner and false affidavits to indicate the seller was the sole heir.
“The defendants, including the company, have been indicted on numerous charges and the two individuals face prison time if convicted,” Katz said.
Both men have been ordered to return to court on Aug. 10.
