Queens, NY – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Wagner Recio was sentenced for filing fraudulent paperwork to claim a Queens Village home, of which he falsely stated full ownership, when his niece had inherited half from her father, Recio’s brother. In 2021, Recio obtained a mortgage against the property’s value, keeping the financial proceeds.
District Attorney Katz stated: “This defendant falsified documents to steal interest in a home that rightly belonged to his niece.” A comprehensive investigation by the Housing and Worker Protection Bureau led to charges against Recio, ensuring the victim received her rightful share. The 52-year-old from Elmont pleaded guilty in December 2022 to offering a false instrument and was sentenced to a conditional discharge by Queens Supreme Court Justice Judge Toni M. Cimino.
Recio and his brother owned a house, with each having undivided interest under Tenants in Common (TIC) on 220th Street in Queens Village. After the brother’s death in 2014, his daughter, according to his will, became the sole heir to his share. From June to July 2021, Recio filed fraudulent paperwork with mortgage companies to show himself as the sole heir of his brother’s interest. However, the false deed came to light in January 2022, leading to Recio’s sentencing.