By Forum Staff
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Tuesday that four individuals and three companies have been indicted for allegedly stealing three homes from their rightful owners in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens Village and Jamaica Estates.
Carl Avinger, 42, of St. Albans; Autumn Valeri, 41, of Commack, L.I., and Lawrence Ray, 38, of Jamaica, were arraigned on Tuesday on a 47-count indictment charging them with grand larceny in the first degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, identity theft in the first degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, grand larceny in the second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree and scheme to defraud in the first degree.
Torey Guice, 40, of Roselle, N.J., was arraigned on the same indictment charging him with grand larceny in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, identity theft in the first degree, falsifying business records in the first degree and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.
According to the indictment and investigation, on or about April 10, 2023, Avinger and Valeri – who is a licensed real estate agent – acting in concert with two others, filed a false document with the City Department of Finance. It recorded the deed transfer of a home on 208th Street in Queens Village from a 76-year-old woman, who is the rightful owner, to Shuler Management LLC, owned by Ray. One of the purported signatures on the deed was of a former co-owner who died in 2016. The notary signature on the transfer was also found to be fraudulent.
On or about April 28, 2023, Avinger and Valeri, acting in concert with Ray, filed a false document with the DOF recording a deed transfer of a home on 61st Road in Kew Gardens Hills from a mother and daughter, who are the rightful owners, to Kubick Ray Kubick LLC, which is owned by Ray. The signatures on the deed were forged to represent the signatures of both the mother and the daughter, who confirmed that they never signed the document. The notary signature on the transfer was also found to be fraudulent.
In May 2023, the 61st Road home was sold to a third party for $600,000 and a fraudulent marriage certificate with the name of one of the victims and driver’s license for the other victim, along with forged corporate documents, was provided by the defendants to the title company. Approximately $442,000 in sale proceeds was wired to a TD Bank account owned by Ray’s LLC.
On or about May 4, 2023, the defendants, acting in concert with two others, filed a false document with the DOF recording a deed transfer of a home on Kendrick Place in Jamaica Estates from an 82-year-old woman, who is the rightful owner, to Castaneda Ray Family LLC, owned by Ray. The signature on the deed was forged to represent the signature of the owner, who confirmed that she never signed the document. The notary signature on the transfer was also found to be fraudulent.
If convicted of the top count, Ray and Valeri face a potential maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison. Avinger faces up to 12 1/2 to 25 years and Guice faces up to five to 15 years.
