Just days after Council Member Chi Ossé was arrested at an eviction protest in Bed-Stuy, the mayor has announced plans to combat deed theft.
The council member said that the eviction was a result of deed theft, although state officials have disputed the claim.
Here’s how Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to deal with deed theft across the city after the arrest sparked nationwide attention.
What Is Deed Theft?
Deed theft happens when someone takes the title of a home without the homeowner’s knowledge and approval, according to the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
Two ways that deed theft can happen include forgery, which means fabricating a homeowner’s signature, or fraud, when a homeowner signs without realizing the true meaning of what they are signing.
Statewide, AG office data showed that deed complaints have sharply increased in the last few years, from 149 in 2023 to 517 in 2025, though it’s unclear how many turned out to be valid.
The issue has been a big one for Ossé, who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights.
In February, the councilmember, alongside other officials and The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft, announced a new initiative to curb the fraud.
They called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to put temporary eviction moratoriums on NYC homes where deed theft may be happening, according to a release by the office that said Black homeowners in Brooklyn were most affected by the fraud.
Council Member Chi Ossé’s Arrest
Ossé was detained after his office said he was “defending his constituent, Carmella Charrington, from eviction after six decades in her home.”
“Black displacement is happening right now in Bed-Stuy and Carmella is one of many Black homeowners battling deed theft in Brooklyn.”
In video of the altercation, Ossé is seen on the ground with NYPD officers on top of him. He was then handcuffed and detained at the NYPD’s 79th Precinct in Bed-Stuy and was ultimately charged.
Despite the council member calling Charrington’s case deed theft, the state attorney general’s office said a prior investigation had already ruled that out.
The office said that after it investigated Charrington’s case last year, it was determined to be a property dispute rather than a deed theft case.
It stemmed from competitive claims from the heirs and relatives of the property’s former co-owners, according to the office, which says it did not have jurisdiction to intervene in the legal dispute.
Four were arrested alongside Ossé, and all were charged with obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct, according to the department.
Ossé also said that he would be filing a misconduct report against the officers who threw him on the ground.
A New Office to Combat Deed Theft
On Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to establish a Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention.
Mamdani put Peter White, an attorney with Access Justice Brooklyn, at the helm, with the goal of expanding “strategic enforcement against deed theft, flag suspicious property filings, coordinate with law enforcement, conduct public education and outreach, promote preventative safeguards and improve data-sharing across agencies,” according to a news release.
“The establishment of the Office of Deed Theft Prevention marks a turning point in this city’s history,” Council Member Chi Ossé said in the announcement.
“I’m proud to have worked alongside 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 generational wealth.”
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