Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin announced two civil lawsuits on September 9 accusing nine people of coordinating fraudulent claims on homes across the county, according to Houston Public Media and KPRC 2. Investigators have connected at least 10 properties to the two cases, and about seven are no longer accessible to the people the county says own them. The homes are valued between roughly $100,000 and $250,000 each.
These are civil filings, not criminal cases. No criminal charges had been filed as of the announcement, and the county is asking the courts to return the homes to their rightful owners and to impose civil penalties. The allegations describe forged signatures, fabricated identities, fraudulent notarizations and deeds passed between parties before being offered to buyers who did not know the history.
The practical takeaway for Lake Houston area homeowners is the advice that came with the announcement: check your own property records once a year through the Harris County Appraisal District and the Harris County Clerk, keep a will current, and use a reputable title company and a licensed agent when buying. Kamin said deed fraud reaches homeowners in every income bracket.
Reported by Houston Public Media and KPRC 2 Click2Houston.
