*New York City is taking a new step to address property fraud, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the formation of the city’s first Office of Deed Theft Prevention. The move comes during a period of renewed attention on housing issues, following the arrest of Council Member Chi Ossé at a Brooklyn protest tied to an eviction dispute, AMNY reports.
Ossé said the effort reflected sustained activism, calling it the result of “pressure, advocacy and organizing.”
City officials said the new office will focus on identifying suspicious property transactions while coordinating efforts between agencies and law enforcement. It will also work to connect homeowners with legal assistance and improve communication across departments. Mamdani emphasized that the initiative had been in development for months and aligns with earlier campaign commitments.
The office will operate under the Department of Finance and will be led by Peter White, who has experience assisting homeowners facing legal challenges. According to White, the office will concentrate on detecting fraud, preventing future cases, and helping victims resolve existing issues.
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Data cited during the announcement highlighted the scale of the problem. More than 3,500 deed theft complaints were recorded between 2013 and 2023, with a significant increase in recent years. Officials reported 517 complaints in 2025 alone, compared to 149 in 2023, with many cases concentrated in Brooklyn and Queens. Mamdani linked the trend to broader concerns about displacement affecting Black residents.
Attorney General Letitia James described deed theft as “a heartless crime,” saying “it originated from deed theft, but it was an eviction proceeding.”
While advocates have pushed for an eviction moratorium, Mamdani did not endorse the proposal. Instead, he said the new office would review potential policy changes, noting that further action would depend on legislative and judicial involvement.
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