Man Sentenced for Stealing Deed from Elderly Schoharie County Homeowner

SCHENECTADY – A Rensselaer County man was sentenced to 12 weekends in jail and five years of probation for deceiving an elderly Schoharie County man into signing over the deed to his home, which the perpetrator then sold for a significant profit.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said Joseph Goodnough, 42, pleaded guilty in Schenectady County Court to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C felony.

Prosecutors said Goodnough approached the elderly homeowner, who owed over $60,000 in unpaid property taxes, under the false pretense of helping him manage the debt. During a signing that took place in Schenectady County, Goodnough allegedly shuffled paperwork to prevent the victim from seeing what he was signing, ultimately leading the man to unknowingly transfer ownership of his home.

Less than a month later, Goodnough sold the property to an unsuspecting third party for $142,500. After paying off the liens, he kept more than $75,000 in profit. Authorities also said Goodnough shut off the homeowner’s power and attempted to have him removed from the home to facilitate the sale.

The fraud was discovered when the new buyers found the original homeowner still living in the house and learned the property transfer had been fraudulent. The case was initiated by the Cobleskill Police Department and investigated by the New York State Police.

As part of the sentence handed down by Judge Matthew J. Sypniewski, Goodnough must pay full restitution to both the original homeowner and the subsequent buyer. He has already paid $10,000 to each. If he fails to make full restitution, he faces a state prison sentence of 5 to 15 years.

"Mr. Goodnough took advantage of an elderly man who had fallen behind on his property taxes and lied to him about throwing him a figurative life preserver when in actuality what he threw him was an anchor," Carney said in a statement. "This case is a cautionary lesson that people should beware of signing documents pertaining to real estate without legal representation."

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney William Lemon, Bureau Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.