Aug. 7, 2025 By Athena Dawson

The office of State Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday announced its first indictments under the new criminal deed theft legislation.

James announced that two New York City residents have been charged with multiple felonies in an alleged scheme to defraud an elderly Kew Gardens Hills resident of her home at a press conference on the steps of Queens County Criminal Court on Thursday, Aug. 7. This case is the first of its kind brought under New York’s new deed theft law, which went into effect July 19, 2024.

SO8306 was co-authored by AG James and sponsored by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-20) and Bronx Assemblymember Landon C. Dais (D-77). It establishes deed theft as a crime, amends the statute of limitations to give homeowners and prosecutors more tim

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