QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – A pair accused of stealing an elderly woman’s Queens home will be the first arrest of its kind under a new deed theft law, Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday.

Victor Quimis, 39, was arrested on Monday in relation to the scheme that started in 2022. Deepa Roy, 68, also accused in the scheme, has not yet been apprehended, James said.

Roy and Quimis are accused of forging Renuka Bherwani’s signature, transferring over ownership of her Kew Gardens home she owned since 1986, James said. At the time, Berwhani was receiving end-of-life hospice care.

A new law went into effect in 2024 criminalizing deed theft as a form of grand larceny and extending the length of time prosecutors and homeowners can take legal action.

Older people and homeowners of color ar

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