North Babylon man sentenced for stealing home of 89-year-old woman

A North Babylon man was sentenced Tuesday to five to 10 years in prison for using forged documents to steal the home of an 89-year-old woman who was living with relatives in upstate New York, said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

Shavard Callaway, 48, was convicted in November, following a jury trial, of two counts of second-degree grand larceny, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, four counts of second-degree forgery and one count of first-degree falsifying business records.

"This defendant callously took advantage of an elderly woman, stealing and selling her home while she was living with relatives," Gonzalez said. "Today’s sentence holds him accountable for this despicable crime and sends a strong message to would-be scammers and deed thieves that we will seek serious penalties for those who victimize Brooklyn homeowners.”

Vinoo Varghese, Callaway's Manhattan-based defense attorney, said he planned to appeal.

"The evidence against Mr. Callaway was far from overwhelming, and there was plenty of reasonable doubt," Varghese said. " … Mr. Callaway's fight to clear his name will go in the appellate court."

Prosecutors said Callaway created and utilized a forged power of attorney — falsely claiming to be the nephew of the homeowner — to sell a home on Chauncey Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The property was sold to WI Management in December 2014 for $250,000, authorities said.

In January 2015, the homeowner discovered the fraud when she was in contract to sell the home for $900,000, records show.

The prospective buyer did a title check and discovered the false deed on record, officials said. The homeowner, who died in July 2015, immediately began civil litigation to undo the fraud, prosecutors said.

Callaway was indicted in November 2017 and hired an attorney who negotiated his surrender, authorities said.

But the North Babylon man failed to surrender and evaded arrest for more than three years until he was located in Suffolk County in late 2020, officials said.

The deed was eventually returned to the estate of the homeowner and the purchase price was returned to WI Management by the title company, prosecutors said.

Investigators later found that Callaway, who has several previous arrests, had boasted on Facebook that he had turned from selling drugs to committing forgery and theft, referring to himself as a “paperwork master.” Callaway's social media post, officials said, included a photo of 210 Joralemon St. in Brooklyn, where deeds in the borough are filed.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.