Just days after Council Member Chi Ossey was arrested at an eviction protest in Bed-Stuy, the mayor has announced a plan to combat deed theft.
The council member said the eviction was the result of deed theft, though state officials have denied the claim.
Here’s how Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to tackle deed theft across the city after the arrest gained national attention.
What is deed theft?
According to the New York State Attorney General’s Office, deed theft occurs when someone takes ownership of a home without the homeowner’s knowledge and approval.
Deed theft can happen in two ways, including forgery, which means forging the homeowner’s signature, or fraud, when a homeowner signs the deed without understanding the true meaning of what they are signing.
Statewide, data from the AG’s office showed deed complaints have increased sharply over the past few years, from 149 in 2023 to 517 in 2025, though it’s unclear how many turned out to be legitimate.
The issue has been a big one for Ossey, who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights.
In February, the council member, along with other officials and the People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft, announced a new initiative to curb fraud.
He called on Governor Kathy Hochul to impose a moratorium on temporary evictions on NYC homes where deeds may have been stolen, according to a release from the office, saying that Black homeowners in Brooklyn were most affected by the fraud.
Arrest of council member Chi Osse
Osse was detained after his office said he was “protecting his constituent, Carmela Charrington, from eviction after six decades in her home.”
“There is black displacement happening in Bed-Stuy right now and Carmella is one of the many black homeowners struggling with deed theft in Brooklyn.”
In video of the altercation, Osey is seen with NYPD officers on the ground. He was then handcuffed and detained at the NYPD’s 79th Precinct in Bed-Stuy and eventually charged.
Despite the council member calling Charrington’s case a theft, the state Attorney General’s office said a prior investigation had already ruled it out.
The office said that after investigating Charrington’s case last year, it was determined to be a property dispute rather than a case of deed theft.
This stems from competing claims by heirs and relatives of former co-owners of the property, according to the office, which says it has no jurisdiction to intervene in the legal dispute.
Osse, along with four others, were arrested and all were charged with obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, according to the department.
Osse also said he would file a misconduct report against the officers who tackled him to the ground.
A new office to deal with deed theft
On Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to establish the Mayor’s Office for Deed Theft Prevention.
According to a news release, Mamdani put Peter White, an attorney at Access Justice Brooklyn, at the helm with the goal of leading “strategic enforcement against deed theft, flagging suspicious property filings, coordinating with law enforcement, conducting public education and outreach, promoting preventive security measures, and improving data-sharing.”
“The establishment of the Deed Theft Prevention Office marks a turning point in the history of this city,” Council Member Chi Ossey said in the announcement.
“I am proud to have worked with Mayor Mamdani to create this office, and we will continue to use every lever of power to confront this crisis. For decades, deed theft has gone unchecked, an epidemic that has stolen Black homes, destabilized families, and stripped generations of wealth.”