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2 Pittsburgh men charged in scheme that stole 43 property deeds
cbs ^ | July 15, 2026 | Madeline Bartos

Posted on 07/18/2026 1:35:11 PM PDT by xxqqzz

Two men are facing a total of over 100 felony charges after investigators said they illegally transferred the deeds of dozens of properties in Allegheny County without the owners knowing.

The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office said 45-year-old William Schneider used counterfeit notary stamps bought on Amazon to submit fraudulent deed transfers for 43 separate properties. Investigators said 57-year-old William Petruskie helped by creating an LLC to be listed on 10 of the forged property deeds.

The district attorney's office said Schneider's fake deed transfer submissions shared several things in common. For one, investigators said all of them were sent in large manila envelopes without return addresses. All the deeds were bought for $1,000 and used legitimate notaries with altered seals. And all of them were submitted with Western Union money orders from the same location, which investigators said they traced to Schneider.

When investigators talked to Schneider, they said he initially denied any knowledge of the scheme and said he was a victim of identity theft and credit card theft. But, according to the criminal complaint, he eventually confessed, saying that he filed the fake deeds so he could take over the properties, renovate them and "make his community better."

Schneider is facing 86 felony counts of forgery, 35 felony counts of theft and eight felony counts of criminal attempt and criminal conspiracy. Petruskie is charged with 10 felony counts of theft and criminal conspiracy.

Real estate agent Kelsey Green talked to KDKA in June after she said she'd found 35 cases of deed fraud. She said she started looking into it when a property owner called her office to refinance, only to learn they no longer owned the property. County records showed they signed their deed over to someone else — except they hadn't.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: steelersfans; titletheft
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These Pittsburgh men have German and Polish names, and maybe were born in Pittsburgh.
1 posted on 07/18/2026 1:35:11 PM PDT by xxqqzz
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To: xxqqzz
Couple of dumb meathead yinzers.

2 posted on 07/18/2026 1:40:11 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: xxqqzz

3 posted on 07/18/2026 1:41:27 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Enoch Powell warned us about Rivers of Blood. Well, I sure hope they're coming. It's the only fix.)
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To: xxqqzz

Not every county has it but Google Property Fraud Alert. They will alert the person who signed up that there is activity on their property.


4 posted on 07/18/2026 1:46:29 PM PDT by Mean Daddy (Who will do the Democrat voting that Americans won’t do? - rightwingcrazy)
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To: xxqqzz

Crime doesn’t pay. Except in Minnesomalia.


5 posted on 07/18/2026 1:49:14 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: xxqqzz

My county in WV automatically alerts the current property owner of any changes or sales documents submitted to the county clerk. I get unsolicited letters all the time to sell (at stupid low prices) and have been waiting for something like this to happen there.


6 posted on 07/18/2026 1:51:04 PM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: xxqqzz

This is ridiculous. A guy shows up with a fake notary stamp, and he gets the deed to a property. Doesn’t anyone in the property office do due diligence? You know, like contacting the current property owner by phone and by email.

And by sending out a registered letter.

I’d like to say more, but I’m busy making a fake deed transfer for Obama’s mansion on Martha’s Vineyard.

Once it goes through, I’ll be inviting all my fellow FReepers to a big party there. But it will be BYOB. I’m not a millionaire.

So, sorry. Refreshments will not be provided.


7 posted on 07/18/2026 1:57:41 PM PDT by Leaning Right
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To: xxqqzz; All

This might be worth a serious look. Evidently it’s a free service.

https://www.propertyfraudalert.com/about


8 posted on 07/18/2026 2:01:50 PM PDT by Leaning Right
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To: crusty old prospector
Crime doesn’t pay. Except in Minnesomalia.

It's always entertaining when white people try to commit brown people crimes and find themselves facing the full force of the justice system.

9 posted on 07/18/2026 2:03:06 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: xxqqzz

Whaaaat? People are actually stupid to do this?

Have you ever heard that ad on the radio, “Home title lock”?? Bill O’Reilly pushes it a lot. I always thought it was complete BS, how the hell does someone steal your house, but my God there are idiots out there stupid enough to try and do it.


10 posted on 07/18/2026 2:09:37 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary Clinton remains free, the USA will never have equal justice under the law)
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To: crusty old prospector

I read an article today that said the Home Depots in Minnesomalia now have store signs in Arabic.

Here it is..I’m surprised the leftists at Yahoo posted this article......

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/michigan-home-depot-store-sign-220300545.html


11 posted on 07/18/2026 2:11:59 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary Clinton remains free, the USA will never have equal justice under the law)
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To: Leaning Right

RE: Doesn’t anyone in the property office do due diligence?

The TV ads used to say the local officials are in violation of the law if they refuse due to suspicion. The law forces them to honor demands for the titles.

Story in ABC News on this.

https://abcnews.com/US/prolific-ads-featuring-wing-icons-push-questionable-claims/story?id=85365286


12 posted on 07/18/2026 2:18:05 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

I wonder if they have to be told what the toilet tissue is for.


13 posted on 07/18/2026 2:20:31 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

We had some Chinese college-aged girls stay in our home once and they did not sit on the toilet seat. They stood over it. Bombs away.


14 posted on 07/18/2026 2:21:31 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: xxqqzz

Actually, both surnames are of Germany origin.


15 posted on 07/18/2026 2:22:37 PM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

Clicked on the link and I’m shocked!

There’s an Arabic word for ‘Bath’.

But don’t overlook the benefits in living in an area with large numbers of Somalis. You never have to worry about a toilet paper shortage.


16 posted on 07/18/2026 2:22:53 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

“”””I read an article today that said the Home Depots in Minnesomalia now have store signs in Arabic.”””

The aticle you posted says it is in Michigan. I haven’t seen any signs like that in Minneapolistan....yet.

But I have seen the signs in Mexican at some Home Depots.


17 posted on 07/18/2026 2:23:17 PM PDT by shelterguy
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bbb propertyfraudalert.com


18 posted on 07/18/2026 2:29:47 PM PDT by thinden (Buckle Up!)
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To: xxqqzz

Crimes like this ruin lives. I hope they put the perps away for a long time.


19 posted on 07/18/2026 2:29:55 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: frank ballenger

> The TV ads used to say the local officials are in violation of the law if they refuse due to suspicion. <

I see your point. But I wouldn’t expect an official to refuse a property transfer on the spot. I would expect them to put a temporary hold on the deed until the transfer could be verified.

A one-week hold should do.


20 posted on 07/18/2026 2:32:43 PM PDT by Leaning Right
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