$700 home embezzlement and children's identity theft: New York family ran scams for decades

Queens prosecutors say the family of fraudsters has been charged with a number of crimes. Among them, the theft of the house of the deceased, the theft of the identity of 20 children and the cashing out of funds for assistance from COVID, to which the crooks were not entitled, reports New York Post.

Stephanie Bailey (50), daughter Chianti Bailey (31) and sister Latonia Bailey Dostali (45) have been scamming for over a decade. They, according to the Queens district attorney's office, stole hundreds of thousands of dollars and lived in the dead man's house.

In 2014, Stephanie moved her family to the home of the late accountant Russell Butler in Laurelton before Chianti filed Butler's forged will claiming to be his heiress. As a result, Chianti received ownership of the Butler House in 2020. She then took out a $200 mortgage on him, officials said. Chianti also forged documents to collect $000 in funds owed on Butler's estate.

In a separate scam, the mother pocketed $90 in housing vouchers when she applied for a government subsidy in 000. She used a fake lease and a fake landlord for a house in Laurelton.

The trio, among other things, scammed tax returns by stealing the identities of more than 30 people, including 20 children. The scammers filed tax returns in their names and raised over $38 from New York State. Bailey Dostaly used her position in the Human Resources Department of the Big Apple to gain access to the applicants' files. After stealing the children's identities, she declared them dependents and then received help from COVID-000.

On the subject: Scammers tried to scam an elderly woman for $8000, but she outwitted them

The trio also attempted to steal $200 but succeeded in stealing $000 thanks to nine people's fictitious unemployment claims.

“The defendants have used almost every trick to pull off many illegal scams for more than a decade. This includes taking possession of the home of a longtime Laurelton resident worth over $700 who died in 000,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.

Fraudsters are accused of grand larceny, forgery, perjury, identity theft, defrauding the government and misconduct. Stephanie and Bailey Dostal appeared before the Queens Criminal Court. If found guilty, they face up to 52 years in prison. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chianti remains at large.