“A Ring of Scammers”: County Attorney Kamin Sues Bogus Owners in Fraudulent Deed Scheme
HOUSTON, TX - At a press conference today, Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin announced two lawsuits targeting scammers who stole people’s homes through fake paperwork. The announcement came as the office’s Consumer Protection Division seeks additional victims who may have been targeted by this fraud.
The two lawsuits center around forging paperwork to acquire deeds to homes, then selling them or possibly renting them out to unsuspecting tenants. In Harris County vs. Antia Martinez et al, five properties were identified as being stolen through forged notarized documents. In Harris County vs. Mario Cavazos, the defendant is alleged to have stolen five homes. In a previous case, Cavazos sold a property to Antia Martinez, which was then settled through a private lawsuit. Cavazos appears to have targeted properties where the owners were deceased, including one case where the owner died in 1992.
“While we talk about this and say things like ‘forged paperwork’ or ‘fraudulent deeds’, I want to be really clear: these aren't just abstract DTPA violations. These are people's homes, their livelihood, the generational wealth they have worked hard to pass on to their children. It's home theft.,” said Kamin. “To anyone out there committing this kind of fraud: we are coming for you. We will not let you steal from our neighbors and the residents of Harris County. ”
These cases serve as a reminder that anyone is vulnerable to this kind of fraud. Homeowners can check their property on the Harris County Clerk’s website to make sure no unauthorized changes have been filed:
- Go to hcad.org, type in the address and find the property’s “legal description”
- Next, go to the Harris County Clerk’s website click “property search,” enter in the legal description and see any filings related to your property
If a suspicious deed or other filing has been made, homeowners can notify our office of the potential fraud by filing a complaint on our website.