Massachusetts Man Arrested For Stealing $1m+ From Unclaimed Property Division
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office recently announced the arraignment of Shaka Stayman, a 44-year-old Atlanta man accused of engineering an elaborate scheme to siphon more than a million dollars from the state’s Unclaimed Property Division. This division, often called UCP, serves as a safeguard for residents’ forgotten or abandoned assets—things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, security deposits or inheritance funds that never made it to their intended recipients. When property sits unclaimed for long enough, the state takes custody of it to protect it until the rightful owner, or their estate, steps forward.
According to prosecutors, Stayman exploited this system by submitting seven fraudulent claims for high-value property. Before investigators unraveled his plan, he successfully secured three checks totaling more than $1.1 million. Authorities say persistent work by UCP investigators and the Massachusetts State Police prevented him from cashing in on four additional claims that could have drained another $2.2 million from the program.
Stayman appeared in Suffolk Superior Court on November 7 and pleaded not guilty to a lengthy list of charges, including larceny over $1,200, attempted larceny, money laundering, uttering false documents, presenting false claims and conspiracy. His bail was set at $2 million. Prosecutors allege that between September 2023 and August 2025, he scoured UCP listings for high-value accounts and impersonated the people entitled to them. They say he used forged documents, “ghost” call-forwarding numbers to disguise his identity, mail-forwarding systems to divert checks and fraudulent bank accounts created with stolen identities. Financial records suggest the stolen money went toward a luxury condo, vehicles and designer purchases.
When Massachusetts State Police, with help from Atlanta-area officers, searched his home, they reportedly found copies of the claim forms and other paperwork consistent with the scheme. A second man, Dwight Tucker, is charged as a co-defendant and is scheduled for arraignment on November 13.
Cases like this also highlight something many families overlook: how easily unclaimed property accumulates and why proper probate planning matters. When someone dies without clear estate documents—wills, beneficiary designations or a properly handled probate process—assets often slip into limbo. A bank account becomes inactive, a check goes uncashed, a final insurance payout never reaches the family because no one knew it existed. Without formal probate or estate administration guiding those assets to the right heirs, the state eventually takes custody of them through divisions like UCP. While the system is designed to keep the money safe, it can take years for families to even realize the property exists, and in the meantime it becomes more vulnerable to attempts at fraud like the one alleged here. Strong probate planning ensures that your assets transfer cleanly, that your heirs know what exists and where to find it and that your property doesn’t end up sitting in a government database waiting to be claimed by someone—legitimately or otherwise.
For now, the case against Stayman and Tucker continues to unfold, and both men remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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