Harris County crime: Suspect faces felony charges in alleged $15 million warranty deed scam
Harris County - Constable Alan Rosen's PCT 1 Office arrested Timothy Willard after a year-long investigation into a warranty deed scam.
Willard is facing a first-degree felony charge for forgery and aggregate theft exceeding $300,000.
Deputies say his criminal scheme involved falsifying signatures on warranty deeds on property owned by others. Using fake signatures, he bought their properties at significantly lower prices and resold them below market value, according to authorities. These properties were scattered across Houston, including River Oaks.
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Three properties involved in this scam were valued at over $15 million, according to reports.
‘He could of impacted a lot of peoples’ lives by stealing property fraudulently," said PCT. 1 Constable Alan Rosen. "Willard is being charged with a 1st degree felony, which is the most serious besides capital murder."
According to Rosen, one of the properties Willard is accused of stealing belonged to the 32-year-old’s father.
"At the end of the day, stealing from your own family is about as unconscionable as you can get," said Rosen.
According to Assistant Harris County District Attorney Valeri Turner, Chief of Consumer Fraud, land theft cases happen frequently in Harris County.
"Land theft is a very big problem," said Turner. "People are not aware of it. We encourage people to be very careful."
To prevent becoming a victim, Turner suggests searching public deed records once a year to see if anything looks suspicious. You can do that by clicking here, then click "owner name" and put in your information to find your property.
If something isn’t right, Turner urges people to contact the Clerk’s office or local law enforcement.
"Keep an eye who is listed as the owner, on the Harris County Appraisal District’s website," said Turner. "If it gives you peace of mind, you can buy insurance for this."