Attorney General James Announces Sentencing of Former Mortgage Broker for Role in Queens Deed Theft Ring

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the sentencing of Stacie Saunders, a former mortgage bank branch manager, for her role in a Queens deed theft ring that stole homes in Jamaica and St. Albans, Queens, owned by vulnerable New Yorkers or their estates. Saunders stole three properties along with her associates and was instrumental in fraudulently selling the homes for a total of over $1 million in illegal profits. Her expertise was essential to the scheme, allowing the deed theft ring to quickly offload the stolen properties. In May, a jury in Queens found Saunders guilty on 18 charges, and today she was sentenced to three to nine years in prison. Saunders is the final defendant to be convicted and sentenced in the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) investigation into the Queens deed theft ring.

“New Yorkers should never have to fear losing their homes to scammers and thieves like Stacie Saunders and her associates,” said Attorney General James. “This deed theft ring preyed on vulnerable homeowners with their deceptive schemes, but my office has successfully brought them all to justice. I will continue to fight deed theft and other frauds wherever they arise to protect homeowners throughout our state.”

Saunders and her co-conspirators, which included Marcus Wilcher, disbarred attorney Anyekache Hercules, Jerry Currin, and Dean Lloyd, targeted elderly or otherwise vulnerable homeowners and estates in Jamaica and St. Albans. Together they stole and sold three homes and attempted to steal an additional home from an elderly homeowner in Jamaica in 2019.

As the leader of the ring, Wilcher located homes in poor or run-down condition with absentee owners. Hercules forged legal documents used to steal and sell the properties. As she was disbarred, Hercules would also steal the identity of a practicing attorney to use on the legal documents. Saunders, who was also a licensed real estate salesperson, marketed the homes to investors at prices well below the market rate to draw quick sales. Wilcher would secure personal information about the real owners, including Social Security numbers and birth dates, to create falsified documents after investors expressed interest in purchasing a home. Wilcher and Saunders then found people to impersonate the owners of the properties at contract signings and closings, with Saunders arranging attorneys, collecting closing documents, and scheduling the closings on the stolen homes.

When the sales were finalized, the defendants used forged drivers’ licenses and social security cards to open bank accounts in the names of the homes’ real owners. They then used the bank accounts and other entities and LLCs under their control to funnel over $1 million in proceeds from the illegal sales to themselves.

Saunders is the final member of the deed theft ring to be convicted and sentenced. In December 2022, Attorney General James announced the arrests and indictments of Wilcher, Saunders, Hercules, Currin, and Lloyd. Hercules, who was previously convicted of deed theft in Kings County, pleaded guilty to Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and was sentenced in September 2024 to one and a half to three years in prison. In July 2024, Wilcher was convicted of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and sentenced to three to nine years in prison for the theft of five homes — three of which he had stolen with the deed theft ring. Currin and Lloyd pleaded guilty to felony counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.

In May, a jury convicted Saunders on 18 total counts, including Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, Money Laundering in the Second Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree, and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. She was sentenced today by Judge Leigh Cheng to three to nine years in prison on the top counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Money Laundering in the Second Degree.

This is the latest in Attorney General James’ efforts to protect New York homeowners from deed theft and other housing-related scams. In February, Attorney General James announced the indictment of Satwattie Martinez and Joseph Uwagba, two Queens residents who stole the home and personal funds of Martinez’s elderly neighbor. In October 2024, Attorney General James announced the arrests and indictments of three individuals and their company for their deed theft and fake investment schemes that stole over $250,000 from vulnerable New Yorkers. In September 2024, Attorney General James announced a win after a court rejected a motion to dismiss the deed theft case against Joseph Makhani, who was indicted in 2023 for allegedly stealing two Harlem brownstones. In April 2023, Attorney General James announced two pieces of legislation to strengthen protections and remedies for victims of deed theft, which have both been signed into law. Attorney General James also launched the Protect Our Homes initiative in January 2020 and announced the formation of an interagency law enforcement task force to respond to deed theft and other real estate fraud. 

The case was investigated for OAG by Detective Supervisor Anna Ospanova, Assistant Chief Samuel Scotellaro, and Deputy Chief Juanita Bright of the Major Investigations Unit. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.

Assistant Attorneys General Nicholas Kyriacou and Aida Vernon handled the prosecution in this matter under the supervision of Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy, Deputy Bureau Chief Kiran Heer, and Real Estate Enforcement Unit Section Chief Nick Batsidis, with assistance from Senior Analyst Crystal Bisbano. The audit was undertaken by Principal Auditor Investigator Danielle Dudley under the supervision of Deputy Chief Auditor Sandy Bizzarro. The audit team is led by Chief Auditor Kristen Fabbri. Both the Investigations Bureau and the Public Integrity Bureau are part of the Division for Criminal Justice. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.