Sayeda Moin, 44, unlicensed real estate broker, Levittown, Long Island, New York, has been charged with defrauding three real estate investors out of more than $600,000 in cash and property which she allegedly used, in part, to pay personal expenses.

Moin, who is also known as Sayeda Sufia Akhter and who formerly maintained an office in Woodside, New York was charged with grand larceny, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument, falsifying business records and scheme to defraud.

According to the criminal complaint, Moin was retained to locate an investment property for Mr. Kazi Shamsuddin – which she did at 117 South Franklin Avenue, Hempstead, New York. Moin allegedly advised Mr. Shamsuddin that he would be required to make a $10,000 deposit toward the purchase of the property. Moin allegedly requested that Shamsuddin sign a blank check as she did not know who the attorneys would be but that she would complete the check once she obtained the names. On November 5, 2004, Shamsuddin allegedly gave Moin a blank check for $10,000, and five days later, gave her $5,000 in cash for lawyer’s fees. Both the check and cash were allegedly deposited into Moin's personal bank account. When Shamsuddin tried to contact Moin after having not received a contract from her nor hearing about a scheduled closing, he was allegedly told by her to never call her again.

The complaint further alleges that when Ms. Khudeza Begum negotiated to purchase a house, located at 40-21 67th Street Woodside, New York, through Moin she was advised to make out two deposit checks – one for $15,000 and another for $20,000 – to Frank Zabrozkty as attorney. Doing as instructed, Begum allegedly handed over the $35,000 in checks to Moin on December 9, 2005, and a closing on the property was held on March 21, 2006. However, a review of the closing documents revealed that the $35,000 Begum had allegedly given Moin was not applied toward the purchase price nor had Moin returned the money to her. In addition, it is alleged that Frank Zabrozkty neither is an attorney nor had he ever represented himself as being one. According to the complaint, Zabrozkty claimed that he has known Moin for approximately three years and that he had deposited the two checks in his account and gave Moin $35,000 in cash.

In addition, the complaint charges that Moin told Begum that she would obtain a purchaser for the house Begun was selling at 89-16 129th Street, Woodside, New York. Unbeknownst to Begum and without her permission, at the closing of the 129th Street house on September 2, 2005, it is alleged that a check was made out to Moin for $37,000 and then deposited into her personal bank account.

Finally, the complaint alleges that Moin helped Mr. Mohammed Haque purchase a home at 32 Myles Avenue Levittown, Long Island, New York, for $520,000. At the closing held on November 8, 2005, Haque was directed to sign all the closing and mortgage documents conveying the house to him. Sometime after the closing, Haque allegedly rented the house to Moin with the understanding that she would use the rent money to pay the mortgage as he would be out of the country for several months. Moin allegedly did not make any payments and the mortgage subsequently went into default. When Haque confronted Moin about the mortgage being in default, she allegedly sold the property without Haque’s permission. A review of the November 2005 closing documents revealed that among the papers interposed with the mortgage documents was a deed dated the same day as the closing conveying title to the house from Haque to Moin for ten dollars.

District Attorney Richard A. Brown said, “The defendant is accused of preying on members of her own ethnic community in Queens over the last three years to unjustly enrich herself. Instead of helping her victims achieve the American Dream of owning their own homes, she allegedly plunged them into a financial nightmare by defrauding them of large sums of money and, in one case, a house worth more than half a million dollars which she surreptitiously purchased for ten dollars.”

If convicted, Moin faces up to fifteen years in prison.