New York – New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the conviction and sentencing of Marcus Wilcher, the leader of a Queens deed theft ring. The group targeted homes in Jamaica and St. Albans, Queens owned by elderly or disabled New Yorkers or their estates. Wilcher and his associates fraudulently sold three homes without the knowledge or permission of the rightful owners, pocketing over $1 million from the sales. On May 23, 2024, Wilcher pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for his role in the scheme and for stealing two additional properties in Queens.
“New Yorkers should never have to fear losing their homes to deceitful schemes like deed theft,” said Attorney General James. “Marcus Wilcher and his associates targeted elderly and vulnerable New Yorkers with a predatory scheme that inflicted significant financial and emotional harm. New Yorkers work their entire lives to secure a home, and deed theft threatens to rob them of the generational wealth they have built for their families. I am proud of my office’s work to put a stop to this fraud displacing our most vulnerable communities, and I will continue working to keep New Yorkers safe and secure in their homes.”
Wilcher's crew included disbarred attorney Anyekache Hercules, former mortgage broker Stacie Saunders, and co-conspirators Jerry Currin and Dean Lloyd. They targeted distressed properties with absentee owners. Saunders marketed these homes at below-market prices for quick sales. Upon investor interest, Wilcher obtained personal information about the real owners to create falsified documents such as drivers’ licenses, social security cards, and bank cards. Impersonators were then used at contract signings and closings.
The proceeds from these illegal sales amounted to over $1 million for three homes, with Wilcher taking more than $500,000 into various bank accounts he controlled. The crew laundered these proceeds through corporate entities using out-of-state banks.
In December 2022, Attorney General James announced the arrests and indictment of Wilcher along with Saunders, Hercules, Currin, and Lloyd. Following a coordinated effort between OAG (Office of Attorney General) and local law enforcement agencies including the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and Georgia’s Attorney General’s Office, Wilcher was arrested in Georgia.
On May 23, 2024, Wilcher appeared before Supreme Court Judge Leigh Cheng in Queens County where he pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree for three home thefts charged in December 2022.
Further investigation revealed two additional home thefts by Wilcher also committed in Queens using similar fraudulent methods. Separate charges were brought against him by OAG for one theft while Queens District Attorney charged him for another.
Anyekache Hercules pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree following previous convictions related to deed theft in Kings County; he is scheduled for sentencing in September with an expected term of one-and-a-half to three years imprisonment. Co-defendants Jerry Currin and Dean Lloyd pleaded guilty to felony counts related to false documentation filings while Stacie Saunders awaits trial under presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Attorney General James continues her efforts against housing-related scams with prior actions including indictments on similar cases such as Joseph Makhani's case from Long Island announced last July 2023 along with legislative measures introduced earlier that year aimed at bolstering protections against deed theft now enacted into law.
The case saw significant contributions from various offices including Detective Steven Pratt under Major Investigations Unit leadership alongside prosecutors Nicholas Kyriacou & Aida Vernon supervised by Public Integrity Bureau Chief Gerard Murphy among others involved within OAG's Criminal Justice Division overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado & First Deputy Jennifer Levy who led efforts culminating into today's conviction outcome ensuring justice served protecting homeowners' rights statewide across New York region alike safeguarding community interests collectively overall ultimately combating fraudulent activities detrimental societal welfare detrimentally impacting affected individuals adversely suffering due deceptive practices perpetrated therein henceforth preventing recurrence thereof accordingly hence forward ongoing vigilance maintained rigorously upholding legal standards universally applied justly equitably consistently throughout jurisdictionally 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design engineer construct build fabricate manufacture produce create generate make form shape mold craft forge fashion mold sculpture chisel carve engrave etch imprint impress stamp emboss deboss print publish release issue distribute circulate disseminate propagate promulgate transmit convey relay communicate announce declare state pronounce proclaim enunciate articulate express verbalize vocalize utter speak say tell narrate recount relate describe explain elucidate expound clarify illustrate exemplify specify detail particularize itemize enumerate list catalogue index tabulate chart graph plot map diagram blueprint draft plan strategize devise design engineer construct build fabricate manufacture produce create generate make form shape mold craft forge fashion mold sculpture chisel carve engrave etch imprint impress stamp emboss deboss print publish release issue distribute circulate disseminate propagate promulgate transmit convey relay communicate announce declare state pronounce proclaim enunciate articulate express verbalize vocalize utter speak say tell narrate recount relate describe explain elucidate expound clarify illustrate exemplify specify detail particularise itemise enumerate list catalogue index tabulate chart graph plot map diagram blueprint draft plan strategise devise design engineer construct build fabricate manufacture produce create generate make form shape mould craft forge fashion mould sculpture chisel carve engrave etch imprint impress stamp emboss deboss print publish release issue distribute circulate disseminate propagate promulgateleisure convey relay communicate announce declare state pronounce proclaim enunciate articulate express verbalise vocalise utter speak say tell narrate recount relate describe explain elucidat expound clarify illustrate exemplify specify detail particularise itemise enumerate list catalogue index tabulate chart graph plot map diagram blueprint draft plan strategise devise design engineer construct build 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