Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Monday, Nov. 13, that a Bronx woman was charged with grand larceny (substantial theft) and additional charges for selling the Williamsbridge home of a dead man who had the same name as her deceased father.

 

In the context of the case, Clark said, “The defendant [Mercedes Tiffany King, 35] allegedly sold the property for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it was  later discovered that she had no rights to the home. She allegedly went on a shopping spree spending the money on a luxury car, home interior design, jewelry and art.”

 

According to the investigation, on March 17, 2020, King’s father, Edward King Jr., died, at which point the defendant filed a petition seeking to become the administrator of her father’s estate. On April 15, 2020, a man whose name was also Edward L. King died, leaving behind his property at 929 East 219^th Street in the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx, valued at $675,000.

 

According to the investigation, the defendant allegedly claimed to be the heir of this property and entered into a contract to sell it for $480,000, making $356,075.69 from a wire transfer which was sent from her real estate attorney. After her attorney realized she was not the heir to the home, King was asked to return the money, but refused.

 

She allegedly spent at least $50,000 on a 2021 Audi Q8, $17,500 on interior design work, $17,000 on luxury jewelry, paid her brother $10,000 to be her personal driver, and spent $6,000 on artwork.

The district attorney said that Mercedes Tiffany King was charged with first-degree grand larceny, two counts of second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of third-degree grand larceny, second-degree forgery, first-degree scheme to defraud, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, first-degree falsifying business records, second degree falsifying business records, and second-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

 

She was arraigned on Thursday, Nov. 9, before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Kim Parker. Bail was set at $100,000 cash, $300,000 bond, and $300,000 partially secured bond at 10%. The defendant is due back in court on Dec. 7. A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

On Nov. 14, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation S.6577/A.6656 into law, enhancing deed theft protections for New Yorkers by empowering the New York Attorney General and local district attorneys investigating or litigating deed theft to pause related eviction and ownership dispute proceedings, and expanding the list of crimes that allow prosecutors to invalidate fraudulent sale and loan documents, among other measures.

Deed theft is a practice in which property owners are defrauded out of the property titles to their homes. Deed theft occurs when someone takes the title to someone’s home without the homeowner’s knowledge or approval, most commonly through forgery, when a scammer fakes a homeowner’s signature on a deed and files it with the county clerk, or fraud, when a homeowner unwittingly signs the deed over to a scammer. According to the New York City Sheriff’s Office, there have been at least 3,500 deed theft complaints filed in New York City in the past ten years.

 

Hochul said the new legislation was New York’s strongest tool yet to crack down on illegal deed theft and put the American Dream back in the hands of thousands of New York homeowners. “Deed theft cheats hardworking New Yorkers out of the opportunity to own and keep their homes and forces families out of their communities, particularly in Black and Brown neighborhoods,” she said. 

 

Hochul added, “With the protections enshrined in this legislation, however, we are empowering homeowners and law enforcement to fight back against deed theft and keeping families, homes, and communities intact. I thank Attorney General James and the bill sponsors for their partnership in our mission to protect New York homeowners and for joining my administration’s continued effort to stop fraud, forgery, and abuse.”

The legislation also expands the ability of prosecutors to move to void fraudulent instruments affecting ownership of and interests in property by adding to the list of crimes that can be the basis for voiding the instruments and, for the first time, allowing the Attorney General to do so in addition to district attorneys.

 

For her part, James said deed theft robbed New Yorkers, especially older adults and people of color, of the generational wealth built through owning their homes. “The perpetrators of deed theft force their victims to endure humiliating and terrifying situations, often evicting families from their homes,” she said. “That is why I drafted and advanced legislation to address this problem and empower New Yorkers, and have used my office to go after deed theft perpetrators and raise awareness about this crime.”

 

She added, “I thank Sen. [Brian] Kavanagh and Assembly Member [Helene] Weinstein for sponsoring this bill, and I commend Gov. Hochul for signing it into law. The reforms made through this new law will help protect New Yorkers and better enable them to combat those who try and steal their deeds, their wealth, and their American Dream.”

Officials at the Office of the Governor, said New Yorkers are encouraged to report deed theft to the Attorney General’s Office by calling (800) 771-7755 or by filing a complaint here.

 

The case involving King and the house sold in Williamsbridge was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kaseim Tripp of the economic crimes bureau, under the supervision of Herman Wun, chief of the economic crimes bureau, and under the overall supervision of Denise Kodjo, deputy chief of the investigations division and Wanda Perez-Maldonado, chief of the investigations division.

 

Clark thanked Assistant District Attorney Samantha Sizemore, the trial preparation assistant, Cindy Murillo, and the intelligence analyst, Faye Johnson, for their assistance in the case.

 

She also thanked Bronx DA Detective Investigators Benjamin Ahmadi and Randy Scarpinato for their work on the investigation.