Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Following the recent arrest of progressive Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé (C.D. 36), during an anti-eviction protest relating to an elderly Black female tenant on April 22, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention on Friday, April 24, and appointed Peter White as director.
Ossé was later released from custody following the intervention of City Council Speaker Julie Menin (C.D. 5) and other city council members who went to the precinct where he was held to demand his release. He later joined the mayor for the announcement of the opening of the new office.
According to City officials, deed theft, in which white-collar criminals use fraudulent filings to steal homes from longtime residents, is a persistent threat to working-class homeowners in New York. They said families who have spent decades building stability and generational wealth are being targeted and displaced through complex scams that exploit gaps in oversight.
“The theft of a home is the theft of a family’s future,” said Mamdani. “Deed theft preys on the New Yorkers who can least afford it. Today, we are bringing the full force of City government to bear to stop it – to protect homeowners, defend generational wealth and make clear that this City will not tolerate the exploitation of our communities. I am proud to appoint Peter White as the director of New York City’s first-ever Office of Deed Theft Prevention, where he will write a new story of leadership and action.”
City officials said White, an attorney with Access Justice Brooklyn, has spent years representing homeowners facing foreclosure and deed theft. They said that in his new role, White will lead “a coordinated, citywide strategy to prevent fraud, support impacted residents and strengthen enforcement.” They said White holds a law degree from St. John’s University and a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, and has led extensive community outreach and legal clinic work alongside his practice.
City officials went on to say that over the last decade, thousands of deed theft complaints have been filed across New York City, with the highest concentration in Brooklyn and Queens. They said Black homeowners and neighborhoods have been disproportionately targeted, deepening racial wealth gaps and destabilizing communities.
They added that recent State legislation has strengthened tools to investigate and prosecute deed theft, and the new office will leverage those authorities while building a proactive, preventive approach across agencies.
The Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention will be housed within the NYC Department of Finance (DOF), which records property documents, and officials said it will work closely with the Sheriff’s Office, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, along with state and local partners.
Established by NYC executive order 16, they said the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention will expand strategic enforcement against deed theft, flag suspicious property filings, coordinate with law enforcement, conduct public education and outreach, promote preventative safeguards and improve data-sharing across agencies.
The news was welcomed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, New York Public Advocate Jumanne Williams, among other elected and city officials. “Deed theft is exploitative and criminal, and we are committed to ending it,” said Dina Levy, commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD).
She added, “Scammers have stolen from too many New Yorkers, especially Black families who have fought for generations to own a home. New York homeowners deserve to sleep at night knowing that their home will remain theirs tomorrow. I look forward to working with Peter White and the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention to protect vulnerable homeowners across New York.”
Meanwhile, Ossé said, “The establishment of the Office of Deed Theft Prevention marks a turning point in this city’s history. I’m proud to have worked alongside Mayor Mamdani to create this office, and we will continue to use every lever of power to confront this crisis. For decades, deed theft has gone unchecked, an epidemic that has stolen Black homes, destabilized families, and stripped generational wealth.”
He added, “Today, we are bringing the full force of city government to bear. This victory was won through partnership with the People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft. Because of this work, we are sending a clear message: New York City will not allow displacement to continue, and for as long as I have power, I will use every last breath to ensure Black Brooklyn is never erased.”
Bronx Assemblymember Landon Dais (A.D. 77) also applauded the decision, saying, “Two years ago, I led the fight in the state Assembly to make deed theft a crime because no one should lose their home to fraud. I applaud Mayor Mamdani for creating an Office of Deed Theft Prevention that will use the tools we put in place to go after bad actors and protect homeowners and will fight alongside our office to eliminate deed theft in New York State.”
In February 2026, Ossé, and the People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft had announced at a press conference, alongside City and State elected officials, a then-new initiative to confront what they said was New York City’s growing deed theft crisis. They called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to enforce a temporary eviction moratorium on properties in New York City where there is a possibility of deed theft and fraud, and said they would remain in place until the necessary resources and protections were secured to fully protect homeowners and end deed theft once and for all.
The group said the announcement came as thousands of deed theft complaints had been filed across the City over the past decade, disproportionately impacting Black homeowners in Brooklyn. They said that while those cases moved through the courts, eviction proceedings often continued, forcing families from homes they may still legally own, and even though the property was “stolen by bad actors who committed fraud.”
Ossé urged the governor to exercise her executive authority to ensure enforcement through the same mechanisms used during the COVID-19-era eviction moratorium. He said this included stronger and more active enforcement of existing State laws such as §756-A of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL), §2201 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR), CPLR §5519, or other legal tools.
He said such mechanisms would ensure homeowners could remain in their homes while their cases were resolved. Advocates emphasized that this was a targeted legal pause to protect families in the middle of unresolved cases, not a blanket freeze on the housing system.
Ossé also sent a formal letter to Hochul outlining the initiative, with 24 elected officials at both the City and State levels signed on in support. The letter details what were described as the legal authority, resources, and systemic reforms needed to address deed theft. It can be read here.
The group went on to say that the broader initiative paired these immediate protections with long-term reforms to prevent deed theft before it happened and to hold perpetrators accountable. The coalition called for a citywide, opt-out, cease-and-desist zone to curb predatory real estate, legal, and financial solicitation, the establishment of a right to counsel for homeowners facing deed theft cases, and dedicated investigative units within district attorney offices.
They said the plan also included creating a loan forgiveness and refinancing program for homeowners facing liens and financial hardship, along with stronger LLC transparency laws to prevent perpetrators from hiding behind shell companies. They said it expanded oversight of judicial and lending systems, and advanced reforms that allow victims to bring older cases forward and challenge “fraudulent transfers before they are recorded.”
Meanwhile, the People’s Coalition To Stop Deed Theft had said at the time, “An eviction moratorium is necessary to ensure that victims of deed theft and mortgage fraud are not doubly victimized first by the predators, then by the system meant to protect them. Housing Court is the wrong venue for owners contesting the theft and fraud of their property, and the courts are failing them. No one should lose their home while fighting to prove it was stolen. We are calling on Governor Hochul to act now.”
Bronx Council Member Althea Stevens (C.D. 16) was one of several other city council members to also weigh in on the matter, saying, “Deed theft is a direct attack on Black and Brown families, their stability, and their ability to build generational wealth. For too many families, it has meant fear, displacement, and the loss of a home they worked their entire lives to secure.”
She added, “Housing is a basic human right, and no homeowner should be forced out of their home while the courts are still determining whether that home was stolen. A temporary pause on evictions in these cases is not only reasonable, but it is also necessary to keep families housed and ensure our systems protect people, not further harm them.”
Bronx Council Member Justin Sanchez (C.D. 17) also supported the initiative, writing, “Deed theft is one of the most insidious forms of fraud we’re seeing in our city. Our most vulnerable neighbors, many of whom have lived in these homes their entire lives and helped build and shape their communities, are being robbed of their dignity, stability, and identity on top of the generational wealth from the value of their property.”
He added, “I commend Council Member Ossé for leading this effort to crack down on these predatory practices and protecting my neighbors in the South Bronx and all of our vulnerable neighbors throughout the five boroughs. This legislation is about safeguarding families, preserving communities, and making it clear that we, as New Yorkers, look out for each other. If you want to make it in New York City, you don’t do it off the backs of the elderly and financially under-resourced, and if you try, you’re going to pay the price.”
As reported, retired NYPD Chief of Department John Chell, who recently announced he is running for mayor in 2029, criticized how Ossé’s arrest had been reported by some news outlets.
On April 22, he wrote, “Come join me tomorrow morning at 7:35 with @sidrosenberg19 on @77WABCradio as we discuss how @OsseChi was duped by the owners daughter of the house with an alleged fake deed accusation. The house was sold by a group of investors including the father of the female. Bottom line house was sold legit and she did not want to leave. You heard it right here. This was not a deed being stolen- Fake narrative.”
He continued, “You see everyone, when you are the past Commanding Officer of the 79 Pct in Bed Stuy, you have friends that tell you the real deal. Streets are always talking. When I was the CO of this command, Chi was still watching The Power Rangers. Now he lies and says he was violently thrown to the ground – watch the video closely. This guy is garbage. He just wants attention. He broke the law.”
He then asked if the City Council, the City Council Speaker Julie Menin (C.D. 5), NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani were going to look into the matter. “You were all duped,” he said, adding that they were blaming the NYPD and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “You should be ashamed of yourselves. Sid and I are going to have fun with this one. Come listen.” He tagged The NY Post, The NY Daily News, The City, Gothamist, The New York Times, and Politico in the post.
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