New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictments of Deepa Roy, 68, of Manhattan and Victor Quimis, 39, of Queens, who worked together to steal the home of Renuka Bherwani, an elderly widow living in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, while she was receiving end-of-life hospice care in her home. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Roy and Quimis forged Bherwani’s signature on documents transferring ownership of her home to themselves. Roy and Quimis later forged additional documents in order to transfer ownership of the home to Hunter Studios & Developer Corp. (Hunter Studios), a corporation owned by Quimis. Quimis then obtained a $552,500 mortgage on the property, allowing him to steal over $300,000 after paying off Bherwani’s prior mortgage and liens in his name. Both Roy and Quimis were charged with multiple felonies for their roles in the scheme. This case is the first of its kind brought under New York’s new deed theft law advanced by Attorney General James that criminalizes deed theft and gives OAG original jurisdiction to prosecute deed theft cases.
“Deepa Roy and Victor Quimis preyed on an elderly widow in hospice to steal the home she owned for nearly 40 years,” said Attorney General James. “Cases like this one are exactly why I fought to advance new laws empowering my office to prosecute deed theft and protect New Yorkers’ homes. I will continue to use the law as both a sword and a shield to stop these despicable crimes and ensure this home is returned to the Bherwani family.”
In 2020, Mrs. Bherwani began receiving in-home care from health aides in the Kew Gardens Hills home she had owned since 1986 with her late husband, Mohan Bherwani. In March 2021, while suffering from dementia, she granted her son, Kamal Bherwani, and daughter-in-law, Sabita Bherwani, full power of attorney to manage her affairs. In 2022, around the time when Mohan passed away, Roy began visiting Mrs. Bherwani in her home, claiming to her aides that she was one of her friends. In the summer of 2024, Roy attempted to persuade Mrs. Bherwani’s health aides to allow her to live in a spare room in the home. Kamal and Sabita rejected this request…