A Florida couple is accused of stealing property in a simple scam that cost less than a dollar to carry out. Victor Rodriguez, 50, and his wife Michelle Cherry, 33, filed a lawsuit to illegally transfer ownership of homes in Tampa and Miami-Dade counties, including properties owned by Rodriguez’s former stepfather. Fox News reported that he is suspected of forging a “deed of abandonment”. Reported.
Rodriguez’s ex-wife, Caroline Sauer, discovered the fraud when she learned that her father’s property had been transferred through a quitclaim deed. “We wondered how this could have happened,” Sauer said. “Who would forge a dead person’s signature? Who would do that?”
According to authorities, the fraud included forging signatures on deeds, which are legal documents that transfer ownership of real estate with the owner’s consent. However, these documents are easy to manipulate. Scammers only need a notary and two signatures to process the transaction, which often costs as much as 70 cents in Florida.
Rodriguez and Cherry allegedly used the same scam on another property in Tampa owned by Larry and Dreama Bilby. In February, the Bilbys were stunned to learn that someone had forged their signatures to transfer ownership of their home, which was vacant and under construction at the time.
“I was so angry I could barely talk,” Dreama Bilby told FOX13.
Hillsborough County Clerk Cindy Stewart explained how easy the scam was. “All you need is a notary and two signatures with your address next to them,” she says.
Meanwhile, Caroline Sauer and her family are battling her ex-husband in court. “The hardest thing for us mentally was that we were just trying to protect our father and his legacy,” she told the outlet.
To prove the forgery, Sauer’s family hired handwriting experts and incurred significant legal fees.
Rodriguez and Cherry were arrested in March and have pleaded not guilty. Rodriguez’s defense team maintains his innocence. “Mr. Rodriguez maintains his innocence, and our office has a responsibility to protect his rights,” the lawyers said in a statement, striving to ensure “justice and fairness in the legal process.” he added.
