A Brooklyn woman has been formally charged with deed fraud and squatting, accused of stealing a home in Sheepshead Bay by filing false documents. Shelle Revivo, 35, orchestrated a scheme to squat in a house, tying her fraudulent activities to a deceased homeowner, with no familial or legal connections to her, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office reports.
Revivo allegedly used a forged deed to transfer ownership of a single-family home on Sheepshead Bay to herself for a mere $10, the documents included forged signatures and notary stamps that were backdated, and despite these red flags, she lived in the house illegally, even opening a utility account in her name to receive gas service. Revivo's exploits didn't stop there, she attempted to replicate this strategy with a second property in nearby Manhattan Beach, but failed due to a payment issue curtailing her efforts. This illegal conduct came to public attention following a tip from an observant neighbor who reported suspicious activity to the District Attorney’s Action Center.
The charges against Revivo include second-degree burglary, second-degree grand larceny, and various fraud-related offences, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dena Douglas presided over the arraignment, setting Revivo's bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond and scheduling a court return date for August 5.
Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn District Attorney, condemned the acts, stating, "This defendant allegedly took advantage of a deceased homeowner’s absence to steal a house and live there unlawfully," calling deed fraud and squatting schemes harmful to families and destabilizing to communities. Assistant District Attorney Kirsten Tamayo is prosecuting the case with oversight from higher-level officials within the DA's Fraud Bureau and Investigations Division respectively, as per the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
