Cop Who Stole Bed-Stuy Townhouse Convicted, Prosecutors Say

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — A police officer who stole a Bed-Stuy townhouse from the deceased owner’s nephew was convicted of forgery Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Police Officer Blanche O’Neal, 40, forged a deed claiming she had bought a three-family home at 23A Vernon Ave. on Sept. 12, 2012, Brooklyn prosecutors said.

The building had stood vacant since 1993 when owner Lillian Hudson died and bequeathed it to her nephew and several other relatives, said prosecutors.

O’Neal claimed she bought the building for $10,000 in documents — that included forgeries of the nephew’s signature — that she filed with the New York City Department of Finance and Office of the City Register, prosecutors said.

When the house was burglarized in 2014, O’Neal testified before a grand jury on Sept. 29, 2014, that she owned the building, said prosecutors.

Hudson’s heirs only discovered the deed theft in 2014 when they were approached by a potential buyer and found O’Neals filings, prosecutors said.

The Bed-Stuy woman was convicted of perjury, criminal possession of a forged instrument and offering a false instrument for filing in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Feb. 13, said prosecutors.

O’Neal is slated to be sentenced on April 18 and faces up to 7 years in prison, prosecutors said.

“This defendant shamelessly took advantage of a vacant house to enrich herself,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “She has now been held accountable.”

O'Neal has been suspended from the NYPD and her dismissal is pending, said police.

Photo courtesy of GoogleMaps/Sept. 2017