Real estate fraudster who cheated poor 83-year-old woman out of NYC brownstone learns his fate

Joseph Makhani, a 63-year-old real-estate developer, was sentenced to up to 21 years in prison for fraudulently taking two Harlem brownstones. The case drew attention to the harm caused by property deed fraud, including the displacement of an elderly owner.

Prosecutors said the properties were worth about $5 million combined. Makhani used falsified documents to take Veronica Palmer’s home and obtain a $1.2 million loan, and persuaded a tenant to help transfer a second property. He was convicted of two counts of possessing stolen property and one count of scheme to defraud; the judge also ordered him to pay $500,000 in fines and $500,000 in restitution by May 2027.