New York newspaper 'steals' Empire State Building

A New York newspaper managed to 'steal' the Empire State Building. The publication wanted to expose a loophole in New York's legal system.

The 102 storey skyscraper was stolen by the New York Daily News in what it describes as "one of the biggest heists in American history". A reporter created a fake notary stamp using the name of bank robber Willie Sutton. In just 90 minutes the property registry office verified the transfer of the deeds to a fake company.

The newspaper listed King Kong actress Fay Wray as a witness when having the deeds of the iconic New York building to Nelots Properties . Nelots reads 'stolen' backwards.

By stealing the Empire State Building , the newspaper uncovered a loophole which means officials are not required to verify the information on deeds and mortgages.

"Crooks go where the money is. That's why Willie Sutton robbed banks. This is the new bank robbery ," Brooklyn assistant district attorney Richard Farrell told the paper. "Once you have the deed, it's easy to obtain the mortgage."

District attorney of Queen's, Richard Brown, said of the flaw in the system: "We absolutely have to eliminate the power of attorney in property transactions. That's a big opening for fraud because who knows if it's real and the real owner is being represented."

The paper did not go as far as to obtain a mortgage on the Empire State Building and returned it to its rightful owners.

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