Man Could Spend The Next 18 Years In Jail For Stealing Homes With Forged Deeds
After stealing three Brooklyn properties with forged deeds and impersonating an attorney to sell the stolen properties, a Brooklyn man could spend up to 18 years behind bars.
Carl Smith was found guilty on two counts of second-degree grand larceny, two counts of third-degree grand larceny, two counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and unlawful practice of law, HousingWire reports.
His favorite tactic was to file backdated deeds with forged signatures to steal the rights to a property, despite someone usually residing in the property at the time. He would then sell the stolen property to legitimate investors, providing them with a fraudulent contact of sale and deed. [HousingWire]
