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NYPD Officer Forged Deed to Steal Brooklyn Townhouse, DA Says

By Camille Bautista | October 19, 2015 5:05pm

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A police officer allegedly stole a Brooklyn home from its rightful owner by filing a false deed, prosecutors said.

Blanche O’Neal, assigned to Bushwick’s 83rd Precinct, was indicted Monday on charges of second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree perjury, among other charges, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

O’Neal, 45, submitted a deed in 2012 stating that she bought the three-family home at 23A Vernon Ave. from deceased homeowner Lillian Hudson's nephew, Colie Gallman, Jr., in exchange for $10,000, according to court documents and prosecutors.

However, prosecutors said Monday that O’Neal forged Gallman Jr.'s signature on the deed and lied about him being Hudson's "sole heir."

“This defendant allegedly stole a house from its rightful owner with the stroke of a pen, apparently hoping no one would notice,” Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said in a statement. “But her brazen actions have unraveled and she will now be held accountable. That she is a veteran NYPD officer makes this alleged crime all the more disturbing."

The forgery came to light in 2014, when Gallman, Jr. and three of his relatives to whom Hudson left the property tried to legitimately sell it to a buyer only to discover the forged documents filed by O'Neal, prosecutors said.

The DA's office added that O'Neal went as far as to lie on the witness stand during a September 2014 burglary case where a generator was stolen from the vacant property, identifying herself to a grand jury as the homeowner.

Information on O'Neal's lawyer was not immediately available. 

The NYPD did not comment on the indictment but said the officer joined the department in 2003.

O’Neal was released without bail and is scheduled to return to court on January 6, 2016, according to prosecutors. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.