I just wonder how often this kind of thing happens. I guess it does pays to have title insurance.
Yup. This is a good example of the sort of thing a title attorney is not going to catch doing a routine title search.
Willie should have stuck to something hard to track, like bikes or skateboards. But selling someone elses house?!? Hard to imagine that he thought he could get away with this!
About 20 years ago I heard of a guy doing something similar in a tiny town. It had been a much bigger place years ago and there were plenty of low-quality roads providing access to empty lots. Most of the empty lots were owned by people who had moved away, or their descendants, and had been unable to find a buyer. This guy would find buyers, give them quit claim deeds, have his wife notarize his signature, and take their money. Apparently, he eventually got caught, but as he was only giving them quit claim deeds the punishment must not have been as severe as it should have been.
Any Ohio surveyors out there that can help me with this...
I tried looking up some of the fraudulent deeds to see what kind of deeds they were, but I had difficulties finding where deeds could be searched on the Hamilton County Clerk's website. Any Ohio surveyors out there know where they might keep the deeds in this county?
Any Ohio surveyors out there that can help me with this...
> I tried looking up some of the fraudulent deeds to see what kind of deeds they were, but I had difficulties finding where deeds could be searched on the Hamilton County Clerk's website. Any Ohio surveyors out there know where they might keep the deeds in this county?
Your link is to the Clerk of Courts site. In Ohio the County Recorder is the correct office for deeds and property related documents. The Ohio County Recorders Association website should get you started.
Here is one of the deeds...
Thanks Dallas, I found one of the deeds and it is indeed a quit-claim deed. Apparently Mr. Howard is the notary that notarized the document.
Milton Denny told a story about some guy from the south, Alabama or Mississippi I believe, that made up several tracts of land, and got a mortgage on them from some outfit in Chicago. The he took his money and left the country.
I bet he thought he had it all figured out.
I'm betting he thought he had it all figured out, meaning, since he was just providing a quit claim deed and merely selling his interest, if any, it was not fraud so he had committed no crime. Be interesting to see how this plays out. One wonders sometimes at the lack of ethics in this world.
I bet he thought he had it all figured out.
That technicality might work to let him sell something he didn't own without committing a crime. The title people would likely have caught that, though.
But the illustrated deed is granting the property to him, and as I understand it, was forged, thus making an ironclad case for fraud. Most people don't go down to the courthouse and record the evidence of their crime.
He sold the property with a Warranty Deed...
He sold this particular property under the name of WDH & Associates. It was signed by a Gerald Lilly, Member. I wonder who that was? A notary (who wasn't Mr. Howard) signed off on the signature.
Is it theft by deception?