New York's Attorney General has brought criminal charges against a man accused of stealing the home of an elderly woman with dementia, News 12 New York reported. The Attorney General's office accuses Mark Salky of taking the East Flatbush home of Althea Garrick, a 92-year-old who was receiving care for advanced dementia when the alleged scheme unfolded.
At the center of the case is what prosecutors describe as a brazen theft of property. Salky allegedly forged documents to transfer ownership of Garrick's home to himself, and according to the report he even allowed other people to move into the house after seizing control of the deed.
The accusations go beyond the home itself. Salky is also accused of stealing 148,000 dollars from Garrick, along with roughly 20,000 dollars taken from her ex-husband's pension, deepening the financial harm allegedly inflicted on the elderly homeowner and her family.
Attorney General Letitia James condemned the alleged conduct in stark terms, calling Salky's actions heartless. She said the office's investigation found that he spent the stolen funds on personal expenses, including credit card bills, luxury purchases at Hermes and a jewelry store, rental cars, clothing, nail salon visits and airfare.
James framed the case as a clear example of a growing problem. She described it as deed theft, plain and simple, noting that Garrick had lived in the home for 47 years before, in the attorney general's words, Salky stole it right from under her while she was at her most vulnerable.
Authorities have already taken Salky into custody. According to the report, he was arrested on Tuesday and now faces 23 separate criminal counts, including grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, reflecting the breadth of the alleged scheme.
The stakes for the defendant are significant. If convicted on the charges, Salky faces the possibility of decades in prison, as the case moves forward and the attorney general's office continues to pursue what it has cast as a deliberate effort to exploit a vulnerable homeowner.