A New York jury has found a Long Island man guilty in a deed-theft case involving two Harlem brownstones worth about $4.7 million.
Joseph Makhani, 63, of Kings Point, was convicted after a seven-week trial, according to the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Prosecutors said Makhani used fraudulent deeds, false documents, shell companies, and court filings to take control of properties at 107 West 118th Street and 135 West 131st Street.
Deed theft can strip an owner of control without a break-in, moving truck, or obvious warning at the front door. A home can be stolen on paper while the rightful owner is still trying to understand why records, bills, loans, or court filings suddenly look wrong.
The Jury Found Him Guilty After a Seven-Week Trial
Makhani was found guilty of two counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree.
He was remanded into custody and is scheduled to return for sentencing on July 28 before New York State Supreme Court Judge Michele Rodney. The Attorney General’s Office said he faces a maximum sentence of eight and one-third to 25 years in prison on the top count.
One True Owner Was Forced Into a Shelter
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At 107 West 118th Street, prosecutors said Makhani used fraudulent documents beginning in 2012 to steal a brownstone from an elderly and vulnerable homeowner.
The Attorney General’s Office said a Makhani-controlled corporation claimed in one filing to have paid only $10 for the property. Prosecutors said he later claimed in a mortgage application that he had paid $975,000, obtained a $650,000 construction loan, refinanced the property, and received a $1.2 million long-term mortgage loan.
The Stolen Building Was Rented Out for Years
From 2016 to 2023, prosecutors said Makhani rented units in the West 118th Street brownstone for as much as $3,400 a month, collecting more than $12,000 in monthly rent.
The true owner did not receive money from him, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors said she was forced to live in a homeless shelter while the brownstone, valued at about $2.9 million in 2023, was under Makhani’s control.
A Second Brownstone Was Also Taken Over
At 135 West 131st Street, prosecutors said Makhani used fraudulent deeds and false documents to criminally possess another brownstone.
The Attorney General’s Office said the last true deed recorded for that property dated back to 1975, in the name of an elderly homeowner who died soon afterward. Prosecutors said Makhani later used a tenant’s signature and false filings to transfer the property to a company he controlled, then attempted to evict tenants from the building.
Deed Theft Can Target Vulnerable Properties
The Attorney General’s Office says deed theft often happens through forgery or fraud. Scammers may target empty properties, homes in foreclosure, properties with liens, estates where heirs have not transferred title, seniors, immigrants, and people of color.
Homeowners should check county property records, sign up for deed or document alerts where available, keep tax and utility bills current, and get independent legal advice before signing any property document. In New York, homeowners who believe they are victims of deed theft can contact the Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-771-7755 or [email protected].