Joseph McCray jailed for stealing Brooklyn brownstone after forging judge's signature

Tom Ford refused to dress Melania Trump when asked in the past and says his clothes are 'too expensive' for her to wear as First Lady (despite making a custom gown for Michelle Obama)
Drained firefighters sleep on the concrete ground as they take their first break in 36 hours of tackling the devastating Tennessee wildfires as the death toll rises to seven
'You don't drink and drive and we won't make you listen to Chad Kroeger': Canadian police department threatens to play Nickelback in patrol cars to deter drunk drivers over the holidays
High school choir director arrested after holding 'alcohol-fueled sex parties with female students at his own home'
Netflix finally agrees to let you download episodes to watch OFFLINE
Husband of kidnapped California supermum describes the harrowing moment his branded, beaten and abused wife was dumped by her captors on the roadside after three-week ordeal in emotional first TV interview
Sheriff reveals battered supermom had a MESSAGE 'branded' on her skin, but after extensive interviews with Sherri Papini over the last two days he admits they are still baffled over why she was abducted
Man who stole a HOUSE and sold it for $500,000 after forging a judge's signature so he could claim ownership is jailed for 15 years
Teacher arrested after breaking the jaw of boy, 7, and knocking out two of his teeth as he 'disciplined him for being disruptive in class'
Thousands of Cubans line the streets as Fidel Castro's ashes begin final four-day journey
Chilling Air Force report warns Russia and China's hypersonic missiles 'may endanger the United States'
'How to get away with murder: be a cop': Angry protests erupt in Charlotte as black police officer who shot Keith Lamont Scott is cleared of his murder
The photo that cleared a police officer's name: Black cop will not face charges as new evidence shows North Carolina man WAS armed when he shot him deads
Controversial body cam video shows a white cop shooting an unarmed black burglary suspect in the back
Woman who launched a 'racist tirade' against two black employees at Michaels is identified as an HR WORKER... as it emerges she has been caught on camera lashing out at shop workers before
Just one glass of white a day can raise risk of developing skin cancer by 13%
Police officer killed in Washington state during domestic violence call
PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Somber Kim Kardashian emerges as Kanye West 'leaves hospital to recover'... but can they heal their troubled marriage?
Texas 'serial killer' accused of choking a 15-year-old girl to death before murdering three more women is charged with capital murder
After years of push-ups, more natural bras are all the rage. So should you swap your underwire for a soft cup?
It's LIT! New York's famous Rockefeller Christmas tree bursts into life, kicking off the holiday season in a ceremony attended by thousands - despite miserable weather
Prepare backup presents and NEVER buy anything too personal (or expensive) for your boss: Etiquette expert on how to pick the perfect gifts for your colleagues this Christmas
From a penguin and a dragon to a simple bunch of asparagus: The most bizarre children's Santa lists revealed
Tragedy as mom and her two young sons are found dead in the family's minivan parked outside an abandoned store hours after she pulled her eldest out of school and their father reported them missing

Joseph McCray, 54, jailed for stealing a Brooklyn brownstone in 2015
He forged a judge's signature to claim ownership of the brownstone
McCray then illegally sold property in Bedford-Stuyvesant for $500k
He was jailed on Wednesday for seven-and-a-half to 15 years

Published: 01:47 EST, 1 December 2016 | Updated: 03:55 EST, 1 December 2016

e-mail

View
comments

A man who stole a Brooklyn brownstone house by forging a judge's signature to claim ownership has been jailed for up to 15 years.

Joseph McCray, 54, forged a judicial order to claim ownership of the brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn in January 2015.

He then sold the home illegally for almost $500,000 and pocketed $250,000 cash, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.

Joseph McCray, 54, illegally sold this brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn in January 2015 for $500,000

McCray, from Niagra Falls, New York, had filed a fraudulent court order with the forged signature of Brooklyn Civil Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Lewis that said he owned the building at 119 McDonough Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Four months later, McCray used the forged order to enter into a contract to sell the house.

He received two checks on May 21, 2015 for $249,713, which he cashed the next day at a check cashing place. The rest of the funds had to be used to pay for outstanding liens.

Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said McCray had filed numerous court motions for over a decade - starting in 2001 - falsely claiming ownership, despite orders banning him from doing so.

Joseph McCray forged a judge's signature to claim ownership of the property. He was jailed on Wednesday for seven-and-a-half to 15 years

The four-family building was purchased by a woman in March 2000 from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

McCray was a holdover tenant, but never paid rent. He was evicted in September 2002, but continued to reside in the building.

The District Attorney's office said McCray presented himself as the landlord in 2003 and 2004 and illegally collected rent. He was convicted of this in 2006.

McCray was sentenced on Wednesday to a jail term of seven-and-a-half to 15 years.

He was convicted in September of two counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count each of offering a false instrument for filing, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree falsifying business records after a jury trial.