Queens Man Admits Stealing Widow’s Home
AI-generated editorial illustration.
By Edward Pembroke
A Queens man pleaded guilty on November 5 to stealing the home of Renuka Bherwani, a widow who was receiving hospice care there. New York Attorney General Letitia James called it the first conviction under the state’s criminal deed theft law.
Bherwani’s family discovered the theft when a letter from a city agency arrived at the house congratulating Victor Quimis on becoming its new owner, according to the New York Post. Bherwani and her late husband had bought the home in 1986.
Investigators said forged documents transferred title to a company Quimis controlled. He then took out a $552,500 mortgage on the property and obtained more than $300,000 after paying off existing debts and liens, according to the attorney general’s office.
Victor Quimis is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2027. The attorney general’s office says both fraudulent deeds are to be vacated at sentencing so the home can be returned to Bherwani’s family. The office will also ask the court to void the $552,500 mortgage.
Sources
New York Attorney General’s announcement
New York Post reporting on the family’s discovery
New York Tribune reporting on the sentencing date
