‘Sweetheart Swindler' Pleads Guilty

An Astoria realtor who hired a thug to attack an elderly man in order to scare him into selling his house to her at a low price has pleaded guilty to a felony charge stemming from his brutal death in a Jamaica Park in August 2004.
District Attorney Richard A. Brown said, &#8220The defendant is a ‘sweetheart swindler' who befriended elderly and lonely men, preyed on their vulnerability and then sought to cheat them out of their life savings. In this case, her greed set into motion a terrible series of events that resulted in an innocent 78-year-old man being savagely pummeled to death. The defendant's admission of guilt will ensure that she is held responsible for her actions by serving a lengthy prison sentence.”
The defendant has been identified as Liat Corman, 32, of 32-15 41st Street in Astoria, a self-employed unlicensed real estate investor.
She pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery before Queens County Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Hanophy who indicated that he would sentence the defendant to fourteen years in state prison at sentencing on October 5. She is presently being held without bail.
According to the charges, on August 30, 2004, at 2:50 p.m. Corman lured the victim, Charles Schlechtiger, 78, of 117-53 125th Street in South Ozone Park, to Marconi Park on 157th Street in Jamaica where she had arranged with co-defendant Jason Smith to have him confront the victim. Corman had hired Smith for $2,000 to scare and intimidate the victim by pushing him around and taking his house keys so that he would agree to a real estate deal in which he would sell his home to Corman at low cost.
Smith met the victim at the park where he had been brought by Corman and then beat him to death.
Smith, 39, of 106-44 159th Street in Jamaica, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree robbery on April 27, 2006, before Justice Hanophy, who indicated that he would sentence him to 25 years in prison on September 26. Smith is presently being held without bail.