A Jamaica woman was charged with scheming to steal the St. Albans home of an elderly veteran by allegedly posing as his granddaughter, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Jasmine Morgan, 32, of 179th Street, was arraigned on Dec. 7 before Queens Criminal Court Judge Karen Gopee on a 15-count criminal complaint charging her with grand larceny, identity theft and other crimes for fraudulently transferring a property into her name and then collecting more than $134,000 when she sold the home in March 2020.
According to the charges, around Feb. 6, Morgan claimed to be the granddaughter of a deceased homeowner and offered to facilitate the sale of his home on 198th Street in St. Albans Morgan, and a person who has not yet been arrested — who posed as the homeowner — agreed to a sale price of $300,000 with a buyer and subsequently entered into a contract. Morgan allegedly accepted a $5,000 down payment and provided identification and a death certificate for the dead grandfather and an uncle.
Katz said that on March 6, Morgan again purported herself to be the heir to the deceased homeowner’s estate when she appeared at a law firm in Queens for the closing with her accomplice, who again posed as the homeowner. The deed transfer for the property was confirmed by the lawyer, who gave Morgan a check for just over $134,000.
Katz added that Morgan allegedly cashed the check she received from the lawyer at a Brooklyn check cashing establishment and received cash.
According to the complaint, the true owner of the home is a 74-year-old veteran who discovered the ruse when he was sued by the person who “bought” the home from Morgan. The victim did not transfer his deed and does not have a granddaughter.
“This defendant was ultimately caught in a tangled web of her own making, a paper trail of bogus transactions that revealed a complicated con to steal a man’s home,” Katz said. “By posing as a grieving granddaughter, the defendant allegedly duped multiple people into believing she was entitled to a $134,000 payday, from the sale of a house to which she had no rightful claim. The victim is a 74-year-old veteran who was left with a mess to unravel.”
Judge Gopee ordered the defendant to return to court on Jan. 31. If convicted, Morgan faces up to 15 years in prison.
