A former real estate agent in Rockland County has become the first person to be convicted under more stringent New York state deed theft laws after reportedly swindling a woman out of her home, which was under foreclosure.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday that Oscar Dais, who had most recently been associated with Buy NY Realty LLC, had pleaded guilty to forging the signature of Monique Hill on a deed in order to take ownership of her property.
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“Oscar Dais took advantage of a homeowner who was dealing with a foreclosure and stole her property without her knowledge,” Attorney General James said in a statement. “No New Yorker should have to fear that the home they own will be stolen from them. I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to fight deed theft throughout our state and bring scammers like Oscar Dais to justice.”
Back in 2016, Hill’s lender started foreclosure proceedings because she and her husband defaulted on their mortgage. In August 2021, Dais managed to create a copy of the home deed, which included a signature line for “Monique Clark,” a name Hill went by before she married. Then, Dais forged Hill’s signature as Monique Clark, got it notarized, filed the deed with the County Clerk’s office and transferred ownership to a company that he controlled.
During this period, Hill was out of the country and unaware of what had happened. But by October 2021, Hill had learned about the fraudulent deed and reported it to the attorney general’s office. She also filed a civil suit against Dais, which is pending in court.
Dais’ conviction with the attorney general’s office means that he will be required to pay restitution to Hill, and the fraudulent deed will be voided. Hill’s share of the property will be restored in her name.
Attorney General James lobbied to expand the Home Equity Theft Protection Act (HETPA) in 2023 to protect homeowners with active utility liens on their homes and prevent deed theft. According to the attorney general’s office, the law protects New York state homeowners selling a home in foreclosure or default to a buyer purchasing the property as an investment, requires contracts that allow sellers to cancel and also prevents buyers from misleading sellers.
New Yorkers who believe they may be a victim of identity theft can contact the attorney general’s office at 1 (800) 771-7755 or deedtheft@ag.ny.gov.
