Scottsdale Police arrested two women Nov. 6 who allegedly tried to sell a house that did not belong to them.
Rachael Cossette was booked into the Maricopa County Jail for a felony warrant, alleged fraudulent schemes, alleged forgery/alteration of a written instrument, forgery/present a forged instrument and alleged mortgage fraud.
Lezlie Greer was booked into the Maricopa County Jail for a felony warrant and alleged fraudulent schemes.
A male called police on Oct. 27 to report he had received an email from the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office notifying him that the title to his property had been recorded and transferred to Cossette, according to Scottsdale Police.
The victim told the responding officer he has owned his home for many years, and no one else has ever been on the title, according to police report. In an interview with the victim on Nov. 5, he confirmed that he does not know who Cossette is and never signed any documents transferring ownership of the property. The home is currently vacant because he was preparing to sell the house.
Additional investigation revealed Cossette contacted a real estate investor and accepted his offer of a known amount of money for the residence, telling the investor she had inherited the home and needed to sell it quickly, police said. The investor accepted the offer and planned to have Cossette meet with the title officer to sign the contract and complete the paperwork on Nov. 6 so Cossette could receive the funds the next day, according to police.
The investor spoke with a friend of Cossette’s, known only as “Jennifer,” who gave him the lockbox information to go into the house and look at the property, according to police. It was discovered that the suspect or suspects had actually changed the locks on the victim’s residence and installed a lockbox for potential buyers, according to police. Upon review of the documents provided by the title officer, Cossette had provided bank information for an account belonging to Greer where the funds should be transferred to once the sale was complete.
Cossette and Greer arrived at the title company to meet with the investor, the report continues. Cossette was supposed to sign the sales contract documents, and Greer accompanied her. Cossette and Greer saw detectives at the front lobby and fled through the parking lot. They were stopped, detained, and eventually arrested, according to police.