Brooklyn Deed Scammer Gets 9-Plus Years Behind Bars

BROOKLYN, NY — A deed scammer who forged paperwork showing he owned three Brooklyn properties was sentenced to at least 9 years in prison Monday, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.

Carl Smith, 50, used a fake deed in February 2011 to claim ownership of a lot at 45 Lewis Ave. in Bed-Stuy, Thompson said. 

The deed scammer then sold the property to two buyers, the DA said — bringing in a total of $23,000.

Smith allegedly ran the scam again in Fort Greene a couple months later, in April 2011. 

He used a fake signature, the DA said, to claim ownership of a three-story Fort Greene brownstone at 139 Vanderbilt Ave. — when in reality, the property belonged to the family of a former owner, Dolores Teel, now deceased.

Pictured: Carl Smith. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn DA

Smith allegedly tried to sell the Fort Greene property for more than $1 million, but couldn't close the deal because he lacked a valid title for the home.

Then, in October 2012, Smith hit Bed-Stuy once more, the DA said — this time pretending to own a home at 64 Hart St. In that scam, Smith allegedly collected $20,000 from a buyer for the fake deed and "related fees."

In addition to issuing Smith's sentence, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alexander Jeong issued orders to vacate Smith's false claims to the Vanderbilt Avenue and Lewis Avenue properties, according to a law-enforcement source. Proper ownership of the Hart Avenue property had already been resolved through a civil suit, the source said.

According to the DA's Office, Smith profited from a fake deed in 2003 as well, when he took illegal ownership of — and then sold — a home at 543 Lexington Ave. in Bed-Stuy. However, Smith was unable to evict the property's rightful tenant, and was never prosecuted for the crime, the DA said.

Lead photo by Caitlin Childs