LSNYC Helps Homeowners Fight Scams & Deed Thefts

Jacqueline Knight and Joseph Clarke had lived in their Canarsie home for 25 years when they received a call from a fellow Guyanese Brooklynite offering to help them refinance their home. In 2014, the couple was in foreclosure, the result of an adjustable mortgage and Clarke’s unexpected early retirement, leading to less household income for payments. 

Like many people who have gone through what Knight and Clarke would face, the couple was brazenly scammed by someone posing as a trustworthy friend. “We both immigrated to this country as adults and are very connected with our culture,” they said. “So I trusted these people.”

The scammers eventually convinced Knight and Clarke that the best way to help them would be a “short sale,” which they said would be temporary and allow the couple to remain in their home and buy the home back. A group of men, one of whom claimed to be their lawyer, had them sign papers without letting them review them. The men began harassing the couple and attempting to evict them.

When Knight and Clarke came to LSNYC for help, they learned that the men had coerced them into signing away the title to the deed for their home. “We were humiliated and terrified,” they said. Soon, the FBI arrested the scammers; dozens of other people had been caught up in the same scam, and some were forced to leave their homes. 

“When these scammers stole our property, they didn’t just take the paper title,” Knight and Clarke said. “They took our sense of security, and our sense of place, and tried to take us out of our community. They stole our biggest source of wealth and financial stability.”

Advocates from LSNYC fought in court for nearly a decade to return the deed to Knight and Clarke, and also helped the couple reach a settlement with their mortgage lender. Last year, the couple was able to finally say that they fully own their home again.

“When these scammers stole our property, they didn’t just take the paper title. They took our sense of security, and our sense of place, and tried to take us out of our community. They stole our biggest source of wealth and financial stability. If we’d had access to free lawyers before we got scammed, or the laws had been more protective, maybe none of this would have happened. Thankfully, we got help and we were able to save our home.”

Jacqueline Knight & Joseph Clarke, LSNYC clients

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