Queens Man Cheated Niece Out Of Family Home: DA

QUEENS, NY — A Queens man falsified a deed to cheat his niece out of her share of a family home and pocket $97,000 for himself, prosecutors said.

Wagner Recio, 52, received a conditional sentence Wednesday after authorities said he agreed to nullify the fake deed as part of a plea deal.

The deal reached in December 2022 also made sure Recio's niece received proceeds from the home's sale, which counted as restitution in the case.

“This defendant falsified documents to steal interest in a home that was not rightfully his but was, in fact, his niece's," said Melinda Katz, district attorney for Queens, in a statement.

The case revolved around a Queens Village house that Recio jointly owned with his brother, authorities said.

Recio's brother died in 2014, making his then-10-year-old daughter the sole heir to his share of the home, prosecutors said.

But Recio in 2021 fraudulently filed documents to obtain a $261,000 mortgage on the home and revise the deed to name himself sole owner, authorities said. He paid off a previous mortgage and kept the rest — $97,000 — as a cash payout, officials said.

The fraud fell apart in January 2022, when Recio's mother found the changed deed and contacted the Queens district attorney's office, authorities said.