Posted on 07/24/2021 4:44:29 AM PDT by sodpoodle
A Philadelphia man allegedly stole 14 houses around the city using fraudulent deeds, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Tyree Burno, 42, has been arrested and charged with assuming ownership of homes located in West Oak Lane, Logan, Frankford, Cedar Brook, and Mt. Airy neighborhoods, either in his own name or using a series of fake names.
Such fraud is fueled by a white-hot real estate market, said Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Esack, with the office’s Economic Crimes unit.
“Oftentimes, the neighborhoods targeted are ones seen as up-and-coming, where gentrification is prevalent,” she said. The victims, often the elderly, may not have the financial means to fight a protracted legal battle to get back what is legally theirs, continued Esack.
Deed theft is a recurring problem in Philadelphia. In March, five people were charged for taking 10 homes, and in 2019 city officials unveiled a tool called Fraud Guard to crack down on the thefts. City officials continue to urge homeowners to sign up for the program, which alerts you when a document is recorded with your name on it.
Law enforcement first learned of the Burno case when a 71-year-old woman complained that her home had been improperly sold in 2019. From there the case grew, with officials eventually charging him with more than 80 counts of theft and 42 counts of forgery for the taking of 14 homes and two lots, as well as leasing two buildings unlawfully and forging four checks.
(Excerpt) Read more at whyy.org ...
Exactly that.!! If Muggsy McGee robs the bank with a pack of phony documents, just how in the world am I responsible for that.??
The only way such a thing could be possible is if the bank is complaisant in the deal..
“Is Tyree a black name?“
Why would you ask that?
And why would it matter?
No public official "vets" deed transfers. If a deed comes in and it's in recordable form, meaning (i) it lists a grantor and grantee, (ii) it contains a property description, and (iii) the grantor's signature is notarized, and the recording fees and taxes are paid then the deed gets recorded. It's a ministerial act. How is a public official supposed to determine if a deed submitted for recording has been forged? Do you expect them to call the owner and ask if they have in fact signed a deed to their house? Do you expect them to pull the prior deed and check to make sure the signatures are the same? All the crook has to do is forge the owner's signature on the deed and apply a fraudulent notary and the deed will get recorded.
It's the purchaser's job to make sure good title is being conveyed. Most purchasers hire title insurance companies to make sure they're getting good title and to provide insurance in case they do not. Protection against a fraudulent deed is one of the primary reasons people get title insurance. Title insurance would protect only the buyer of the home from the crook, though. It would not protect am owner whose home has been stolen.
The bank gives the mortgage to the buyer, the buyer gives the money to the scammer, otherwise it would be a really crappy scam unless I’m missing something.
$$$ So we need to pay every month to protect our bank and credit accounts, and another policy to protect our homes from being stolen. Where does this stop? None of this is cheap. And.... like so many other things it is fear based.
A hitman would be cheaper than a lawyer, and would not bill additional for court fees or phone calls.
You sir, have an excellent business plan.
This is what happens when the government does not protect the law abiding.
Guy next door died. We found him 4 days later in his truck. He overpaid for the house and was estranged from family. It’s probably going to the Courthouse steps and end up a rental.
His mattress is in the front yard.
Our county has “owner alert” to notify the owner of any legal documents are filed on the property. While not foolproof, it may give early enough warning to head of any scams.
I got Letter recently with a form Included. “Just fill out the form and have your signature notarized and we’ll begin the purchase PROCESS on your behalf”
That form landing in the wrong hands...
WHAT THE ACTUAL ....
I’ve heard title insurance doesn’t cover title theft.
Pls correct me if that is not true.
So what happens to notaries that sign off on bogus deals? Anything? Any way of vetting the notary? I mean they obtain their commissions from the courts based on whether or not they are of good moral character. Does any database of these individuals exist? Could there be some sort of e-verify for notaries?
How would internet access to deeds and deeds of trust prevent this? It would be up to the homeowner to check the records frequently to make sure a deed to his house hasn't been recorded. Very few homeowners would actually do this. And even then it wouldn't stop the theft, it would only let the homeowner know it has occurred.
And what is the lax security that permits deed "theft?" Government offices don't keep deeds, they just record them. The originals go back the homeowners after they're recorded. The deeds aren't being stolen, new fraudulent deeds are being recorded.
The problem is that the party that did the theft has often resold the home to an innocent third party that had no reason to believe the property was not legally owned by the thief. Restoring the home to the original owner then just changed the victim from the original owner to the innocent buyer who bought the house.
I called our county records dept to ask if I could put a freeze on our deed. They don’t offer that.
Somethings just shouldn’t be “conveniently “ on internet.... like voting machines.
Right, but the bank just verified the buyer, they aren’t in the business of verifying that the buyer isn’t buying some variation of the Brooklyn bridge.
For sure the buyer has more of a responsibility to make sure they aren’t buying the Brooklyn bridge, the actual owner is just minding their business living their life.
simple, Kill the deed thief
The bank requires a title search and if you buy a house without a title search, on your own head be it.
I think this could be as simple as adding a step verifying the notary actually signed off and is who they say they are. Decertifying notaries proven to sign off on bogus deals would also have to happen.
Why would you ask that?
And why would it matter?
————because it wasn’t Vinny or Vito Gombotti.
That’s not him. The guy is 42, not 18.
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