Long island man who stole dead woman's home heading to prison

QUEENS, NY — Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has announced that Marcus Wilcher, a 48-year-old resident of Bayshore, Long Island, was sentenced today to three to nine years in prison for a complex deed theft scheme involving an elderly woman’s home in East Elmhurst. The sentencing follows Wilcher’s guilty plea to second-degree grand larceny.

Wilcher used forged documents and created a fictitious character, purporting to be the son of the home’s owner, to orchestrate the fraudulent sale of the property. The house, located on 106th Street, was sold to a developer for $320,000 with the intention of flipping it.

District Attorney Katz emphasized her commitment to prosecuting such fraud, noting the creation of a Housing and Worker Protection Bureau to tackle deed theft and protect homeowners. The case received significant support from the Office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

Justice Leigh Cheng sentenced Wilcher on June 21, with the terms to run concurrently with another sentence from a related deed theft case prosecuted by Attorney General James. The Queens DA’s office is also moving to restore the deed to its rightful owner, aiming to circumvent further civil legal proceedings for the victim.

Details of the case reveal that Wilcher fabricated a New York state driver’s license and other identifying information of the homeowner to facilitate the fraudulent transfer in November 2022. The elaborate scam included the use of electronic signatures and transfer of sale proceeds into Wilcher’s personal bank accounts, ultimately unraveling following a thorough investigation.

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