Attorney General James Announces Indictment of Queens Residents for Deed Theft and Forgery Scam That Stole Over $1.5 Million from Elderly Queens Resident

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment and arraignment of Satwattie Martinez, 58, of Queens, and Joseph Uwagba, 68, of Queens, for their roles in stealing the home and personal funds of Martinez’s elderly and vulnerable neighbor. Martinez used forged documents notarized by Uwagba to steal her neighbor’s home and approximately $790,000 of the neighbor’s personal funds. Martinez then used the stolen funds for personal expenditures, including paying off credit card balances, shopping, travel, and remodeling the home that she stole. Martinez and Uwagba were each charged for forging documents and Martinez was separately charged with additional crimes for stealing her neighbor’s home and money. Using the documents that she forged and Uwagba falsely notarized, Martinez stole her elderly neighbor’s home and personal funds, together totaling more than $1.5 million.

“Deed theft is a heartless, terrible crime that robs innocent people of their most valuable possession: their home,” said Attorney General James. “No one should ever have to fear their home being stolen out from underneath them, especially not from their own neighbor. Satwattie Martinez targeted her elderly neighbor to steal generational wealth that he built for himself and his family. I will continue to fight for New York homeowners and do everything in my power to keep them in their homes.”

The Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) investigation found that starting in November 2021, Martinez preyed upon her elderly and vulnerable neighbor, who had been hospitalized and was residing in a nursing home prior to his death. Martinez allegedly forged a deed and filed falsified documents, which were notarized by Uwagba, to transfer her neighbor’s home located at 133-12 128th Street in Queens to herself as sole owner.

In addition to forging the deed and stealing her elderly neighbor’s home, Martinez also falsified a power of attorney and appointed herself as the legal agent for her neighbor by forging the names of unsuspecting friends as witnesses. Martinez then used the power of attorney to steal more than $790,000 from her neighbor’s investment account and unsuccessfully attempted to steal additional funds from his bank account and other accounts. Martinez used part of the stolen funds for personal expenditures, including remodeling the stolen home, which her daughter and son-in-law moved into and currently reside in.

Martinez also created a joint bank account using her neighbor’s personal information to steal additional funds. She deposited checks that were payable to her elderly neighbor and used these stolen funds for personal expenses.

After forging the deed to her neighbor’s home and stealing his personal finances, Martinez also falsified a last will and testament for him by forging the signatures of the same two unsuspecting friends. In the will, Martinez falsely indicated that her neighbor had no family and that all of his property was bequeathed to her. Martinez was communicating with her neighbor’s brother, who resides outside the United States, and represented herself as his caregiver and friend.

Upon discovery of Martinez’s thefts by a concerned citizen who reported the suspected crimes to the New York City Sheriff’s Office, Martinez tried to move her neighbor to a different nursing home and directed nursing home staff not to let anyone visit him. The deed, power of attorney, last will and testament, and other forged documents were falsely notarized by Uwagba, a notary qualified in Queens County.

Martinez and Uwagba were arraigned today before Supreme Court Judge Leigh Cheng in Queens County. Following the arrests and arraignments, Martinez was ordered to surrender her passports and released on supervised release. Uwagba was released on his own recognizance.

Martinez was charged with the following crimes:

• Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a class B felony;
• Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree, a class B felony;
• Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C violent felony;
• Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony;
• Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree, a class C felony;
• Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony;
• Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D felony;
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony;
• Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony; and
• Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony.

The maximum sentence on the top count is 25 years. Uwagba was charged with Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D felony. The maximum sentence is seven years. The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

This is the latest action in Attorney General James’ efforts to protect New York homeowners from deed theft and other housing-related scams. In October 2024, Attorney General James and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark announced the arrests of three real estate scammers for stealing over $250,000 from New Yorkers and for their roles in a deed theft scheme to steal the childhood home of a Bronx resident. In July 2024, Attorney General James announced the conviction and sentencing of the leader of a Queens deed theft ring that stole homes in Jamaica and St. Albans, Queens. In July 2023, she announced the indictment and arraignment of Joseph Makhani of Long Island for deed theft. In April 2023, Attorney General James announced two pieces of legislation to strengthen protections and remedies for victims of deed theft, which have both been signed into law. In February 2021, Attorney General James announced an $800,000 grant to combat deed theft in vulnerable neighborhoods. Attorney General James also launched the Protect Our Homes initiative in January 2020 and the formation of an interagency law enforcement task force to respond to deed theft and other real estate fraud.

The OAG thanks the New York State Police for the criminal referral and its assistance with this investigation and prosecution. The OAG also thanks the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the New York City Department of Finance for their assistance.

The case was investigated by Detectives Sal Ventola and Teresa Russo under the direction of Supervising Detectives Anna Ospanova and Walter Lynch, and all under the supervision of Deputy Chief Juanita Bright. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes. The audit function was undertaken by Senior Auditor Investigator Brenna Magruder under the supervision of Deputy Chief Auditor Sandy Bizzarro. The audit team is led by Chief Auditor Kristen Fabbri.

Assistant Attorney General Lauren Sass is handling the prosecution in this matter under the supervision of the Real Estate Enforcement Unit Section Chief Nicholas John Batsidis, Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy, and Deputy Chief Kiran Heer, with assistance from Legal Support Analyst Meredith Youngblood and Legal Assistant Glenis Biscette. Both the Investigations Bureau and the Public Integrity Bureau are part of the Division for Criminal Justice. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.