QUEENS, NY— A Queens man pleaded guilty to stealing the home of an elderly widow in hospice care, marking the first conviction under New York's criminal deed theft law.
Victor Quimis, 40, was charged with two counts of first-degree grand larceny and one count of second-degree residential mortgage fraud for forging documents to take ownership of Renuka Bherwani's home in Kew Gardens Hills, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James' office.
Bherwani, who owned the house with her late husband for nearly 40 years, continued living there and receiving hospice care while Quimis and an alleged accomplice transferred the property into their names and later to a company he controlled.
As part of Quimis' plea agreement, the fraudulent deeds will be voided, and the home will return to Bherwani's family.
Prosecutors will also seek to invalidate a $552,500 mortgage Quimis obtained using the forged documents.
Quimis faces 1½ to 4½ years in state prison.
He is scheduled to return to Queens County Supreme Court on Jan. 15 for sentencing.
Bherwani had owned the Kew Gardens Hills home with her husband, Mohan Bherwani, since 1986.
After he died, her health deteriorated, and she continued receiving care at home.
In March 2021, she granted her son, Kamal Bherwani, and daughter-in-law, Sabita Bherwani, power of attorney to manage her affairs.
Deepa Roy, 69, of Manhattan, began visiting Bherwani in 2022, telling her health aides she was a friend.
In the summer of 2024, Roy tried to persuade the aides to let her move into a spare bedroom. The family rejected the request.
In October 2024, Roy and Quimis forged a deed bearing Bherwani's signature and transferred the property to themselves without payment, according to investigators.
They also forged a notary's signature and used an improperly dated notary stamp on the documents.
The pair allegedly forged additional paperwork required for the transfer, including a New York City Department of Environmental Protection registration form used to establish water and sewer billing.
Two months later, they used another forged deed to transfer the property to Hunter Studios & Developer Corp., a company owned by Quimis.
Quimis then secured a $552,500 mortgage against the house.
After paying off Bherwani's remaining mortgage and liens, he transferred $312,037.57 to the company's bank accounts and used the money for personal expenses, prosecutors said.
Roy received at least $15,000 from the proceeds through a bank check bearing the memo line "Per agreement," according to investigators.
Roy faces multiple felony charges stemming from her alleged role in the scheme. She pleaded not guilty and remains presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove her guilt.
Her trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 8.
Bherwani's family discovered the transfer in December 2024 while sorting through mail at the house.
Among the letters, they found correspondence from the city's Department of Environmental Protection addressed to Quimis.
The letter congratulated him on becoming the property's new owner and explained how to establish an online account to pay water and sewer bills.
Bherwani still lived in the house and received in-home care at the time.
Her family reported the suspected deed theft to the attorney general's office that month. Bherwani died in June 2025.
"Deed theft targets the elderly and the vulnerable, and I urge any family that sees something wrong with a deed to call the Attorney General's office immediately," Bherwani's son said.
The attorney general's office charged both defendants on Aug. 7.
The case marked the first prosecution under New York's criminal deed theft law, which gives prosecutors additional tools to pursue people who use fraudulent property transfers to steal homes.
New Yorkers who suspect someone has fraudulently transferred ownership of their property can contact the state attorney general's office:
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