A 90-year-old Brooklyn man, Ray Cortez, is facing eviction from the home he has lived in for over half a century, after allegedly being scammed out of his property's deed. The community of Park Slope is rallying behind Cortez, with neighbors, family members, and government officials voicing their support, according to an article by ABC7NY.
The case has drawn attention from local lawmakers including Assemblywoman Jo Ann Simon. "He was the victim of an egregious deed theft scam, we believe that because there is ongoing efforts to continue to take his house, this is warranted investigation," Simon stated. Council Member Shahana Hanif also called for "an expedited investigation and to end the eviction proceedings," as per the same report by ABC7NY. Cortez's son has expressed concern about the stress the situation is placing on his father, acknowledging the emotional impact it has had on him.
The brownstone, originally purchased in 1969 for just under $20,000, now stands steps away from the Barclays Center with a value of approximately $3 million. CBS News reports that in 2006, the deed was deceitfully transferred from Cortez to a fraudster who then took out a near $700,000 loan against the property before vanishing. Cortez's plight is a stark reminder of the 3,500 deed theft scams reported by the New York City Sheriff's Office since 2013, predominantly occurring in Brooklyn and Queens.
Despite the passing of new legislation in 2023 aimed at cracking down on such scams, Cortez's family has yet to see resolution. "It broke up the family. And it took a tremendous toll on my father and myself trying to deal with this and rectify it. And it wasn't easy," Ray Cortez Jr. told CBS News. The Brooklyn District Attorney's office has indicated that their investigations in 2019 and 2022 yielded no remedies due to statutory limitations, an explanation the Cortez family's legal team contests, noting that an active foreclosure claim should override such constraints.
