Allegations of deed theft leveled against an incumbent assemblymember in South Brooklyn are roiling a Democratic primary race on the eve of Election Day.<\/p>\n
The claims against Assemblymember Jaime Williams date back to July 2020, when she and her husband were sued<\/a> and accused of deed fraud by her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Logan.<\/p>\n Logan claimed that Williams and her husband Phillip Williams \u201cfraudulently\u201d deceived her into signing over the deed to Logan\u2019s three-family home in a \u201cseries of schemes\u201d to remove her \u201cfrom the property by hook or crook.\u201d Phillip Williams then sued to evict his mother<\/a>, Logan, and stepfather, Gabriel Logan, later that year, court records show.<\/p>\n The saga has reemerged in a series of scathing social media videos and accusations between family members as Williams faces a challenge from Jibreel Jalloh, a Southeast Brooklyn community activist and nonprofit leader, in the Democratic primary for the 59th Assembly District.<\/p>\n Williams has denounced the accusations, which she denies, as a \u201cdesperate attempt to sway an election.\u201d But the high-profile claims come as elected officials and community leaders sound the alarm on the risk of fraud<\/a>, theft and family disputes targeting valuable properties, particularly in sections of Brooklyn and Queens.<\/p>\n Property records from 2014 show Logan transferred the property to Phillip Williams through a \u201clife estate deed,\u201d which would have entitled Logan to remain in the home.<\/p>\n But in an interview on Saturday, Jaime Williams\u2019 stepdaughter, Jessica Jones, told Gothamist that her father Phillip tricked Logan, his mother, into signing over the deed to the home on Avenue O in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn starting in 2014 \u2013 echoing claims from the 2020 lawsuit.<\/p>\n Two years later, in 2016, property records show Jaime Williams was added to a new life estate deed<\/a>. The document lists former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio as attorney. A third deed in 2019 removed Logan from ownership and also lists an \u201cattorney at law\u201d with Seddio\u2019s office address. Seddio has been accused<\/a> in separate lawsuits of aiding in an investment scheme<\/a> and preventing alleged victims from receiving $2 million.<\/p>\n Property records show the most recent deed is dated 2023 and lists only Jaime Williams and Phillip Williams as owners.<\/p>\n Jaime Williams has claimed between $5,000 and $20,000 in rental income from her primary residence in 2024<\/a> and 2025<\/a>, according to annual financial disclosure forms. On the forms, she also lists her marital status as \u201csingle,\u201d despite the pair referring to each other as husband and wife in a video and statement responding to the claims. She did not respond to questions about the apparent discrepancy on disclosure forms.<\/p>\n Jones said Jaime Williams and Phillip Williams locked Logan and her husband out of the home while they were traveling.<\/p>\n \u201cShe worked all these years, saved her money to buy her house and now has to be a refugee,\u201d Jones said in an interview. \u201cThey basically got away with stealing my grandparents\u2019 house.\u201d<\/p>\n In a lengthy written statement, Williams characterized the saga as a \u201clongstanding dispute between a daughter and her father, who happens to be my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me be clear: deed theft is a serious crime,\u201d she added. \u201cIt has devastated families, stolen generational wealth, and harmed homeowners throughout New York City. It is not a political talking point, and it should never be weaponized for campaign purposes.<\/p>\n