Arizona women accused of deed fraud involving home
A Phoenix area real estate investor was approached to buy a home in Scottsdale, but he noticed some red flags on the deed. Now, two women are accused of committing deed fraud. FOX 10’s Kenzie Beach reports.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A home in the Phoenix area was listed for sale without the owner even knowing, but a real estate investor quickly caught on to the scheme, and got police involved before the suspects could get away with the money.
What we know:
Two women, identified as Rachael Cossette and Lezlie Greer, allegedly had codes to a lockbox after the locks on the door were changed, and were giving potential buyers access to a home they didn’t even own.
“We have a limited window because in the next 48 hours, these people are expecting a large six-figure check and deposit from me,” said John Rowan, a real estate investor and licensed realtor.
The backstory:
Rowan was approached to buy the home, but when it got down to the paperwork, he noticed immediate red flags on the deed: it seemed the whole thing had been filled out by the same person.
“The sort of key letters in his area of script matched the main letters in the notary script, and that should never be the case,” Rowan said.
Cossette had codes for the lockbox and access to the home, but when Rowan tried to verify ownership, the fake sellers couldn’t answer his questions.
“For one, this was a $10 transfer on a house in Scottsdale that’s worth significantly more than that, so that was another strange event,” Rowan said. “The names didn’t match with the inherited person. So I asked, ‘how were you related to this person?’ And they avoided that. They would never answer that question.”
Rowan tracked down the real homeowner while maintaining contact with the fraudulent sellers, bringing the whole case to Scottsdale Police.
“I have never seen and been a part of something that was so obvious,” Rowan said. “And for me, not letting this go was important because I felt like we could stop it.”
The suspects wanted $400,000 cash within 48 hours. Rowan accepted the offer, and with Scottsdale police detectives surrounding the building, Cossette and Greer were arrested.
Dig deeper:
Cossette and Greer are accused of carrying out a fraud scheme, with investigators alleging that the two targeted an elderly Scottsdale man who has owned the home for 30 years.
It’s a scheme that typically targets seniors and snowbirds whose homes are paid off.
“These title fraud people target homes that are paid off and potentially unoccupied,” Rowan said.
What you can do:
Many Arizona counties have a free system where they can sign up for notifications that alert you any time a document is recorded regarding your property:
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