A Florida couple is facing charges of stealing properties through a simple scam that costs less than a dollar to execute. Victor Rodriguez, 50, and his wife Michelle Cherry, 33, allegedly forged “quitclaim deeds” to illegally transfer ownership of homes, including a property owned by Rodriguez’s ex-father-in-law, in Tampa and Miami-Dade County, Fox News reported.
Caroline Sauer, Rodriguez’s ex-wife, discovered the scam when she found that her father’s properties had changed ownership through quitclaim deeds. “We questioned, how did this happen?” Ms Sauer said. “Who forges a deceased person’s signature? Who does that?”
According to authorities, the scam involved forging signatures on quitclaim deeds – a legal document that transfers property ownership with the owner’s consent. These documents, however, can be easily manipulated. Fraudsters only need a notary and two signatures to process the transaction, often for as little as 70 cents in Florida.
Rodriguez and Cherry allegedly used the same scam on another Tampa property belonging to Larry and Dreama Bilby. The Bilbys were stunned when they learned in February that someone forged their signatures and transferred ownership of their home, which was unoccupied and under construction at the time.
“I was so angry, I almost couldn’t talk,” Dreama Bilby told Fox13.
Hillsborough County Clerk Cindy Stuart explained how easy it was to commit the fraud. “It only requires a notary and two signatures with an address listed next to them,” she said.
Meanwhile, Caroline Sauer and her family are battling her ex-husband in court. “The hardest thing for us emotionally has been, we’ve just tried to protect my father and his legacy,” she told the outlet.
To prove the forgery, Ms Sauer’s family hired a handwriting expert and incurred significant legal fees.
Rodriguez and Cherry were arrested in March and pleaded not guilty. Rodriguez’s legal team maintains his innocence. “Mr. Rodriguez maintains his innocence, and our office is entrusted with the responsibility of protecting his rights,” his lawyers said in a statement, adding that they are committed to ensuring “justice and fairness in legal proceedings.”