Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced indictments against four individuals and three companies on charges including grand larceny and conspiracy for allegedly stealing homes in Queens. According to a press release from the Queens District Attorney's office, Carl Avinger, Autumn Valeri, Lawrence T. Ray, and Torey Guice are accused of engaging in a deed fraud scheme involving falsified documents and filing false deeds with the City Register’s office from March to July 2023.
The intricate scheme reportedly involved targeting vulnerable homeowners to deceitfully transfer property ownership. DA Katz stated: “Property ownership is a fundamental right and my office works to protect that right in this borough. As alleged, the defendants acted in concert to target properties for theft, forge documents, file false instruments and ultimately steal homes from the rightful owners. My Housing and Worker Protection Bureau investigates and prosecutes bad actors who often think they can get away with stealing the most valuable asset of Queens residents. Thank you to my prosecutors, detectives and analysists for their work on this case,” as obtained by the Queens District Attorney's office.
All four defendants face numerous charges with varying degrees of severity, including grand larceny and identity theft. The indictments, totaling 47-counts, were itemized during their arraignment. Avinger, Valeri, and Ray, who face the most serious charges, could see maximum sentences ranging from 8 1/3 to 25 years if convicted. According to the Queens DA's announcement, Supreme Court Justice Leigh Cheng has scheduled the defendants to reappear in court on April 29.
Details of the allegations include the transfer of a property from a 76-year-old woman to Shuler Management LLC, owned by defendant Ray, using a fraudulently obtained signature of a deceased former co-owner. Similar fraudulent activities were described for properties in Kew Gardens Hills and another in Jamaica Estates. In one instance, a home was sold for $600,000 and sale proceeds of approximately $442,000 were wired to an account owned by Ray's LLC.
The investigation leading up to the charges was conducted by Assistant District Attorney Rachel Stein of the Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, with Detective Thomas Kaup from the District Attorney's Detective Bureau providing assistance. Various other members of the DA's office, including a trial prep assistant and an investigative accountant, were credited for their crucial involvement. The defendants, as of the announcement, have surrendered to Queens District Attorney’s detectives.
