Today I went to a presentation given by a Fresno Deputy District Attorney on MORTGAGE FRAUD in our local market. Listening to the kind of schemes that people use to defraud others was enlightening. Criminals are just that: Criminals. And they don't give a second thought to lying, cheating, or stealing. If they can do it and get away with it - THEY WILL, or at least they will try.
One of the more interesting topics the DA spoke about was a woman in town who is actively engaged in seeking to gain property by adverse possession. Now there is a ligitimate means by which this can be done but this gal is not playing by the rules. According to the DA one of her victims was a woman who has a home in which a relative commited suicide. She was so distraught by the event that she did nothing with the home for a couple of years. In the mean time the aformentioned schemer has moved in tenants and is collecting rent on the property as though it is hers. When the owner visits the property and confronts the gal she says "oh, so this is yours, and just picks up and moves on as though she just made an innocent mistake. CREEPY!
Another case, which she already prosecuted, involved a 77 year old man, sher described as very charismatic, who bilked his friends and associates out of nearly 700 thousand dollars. He was supposedly putting their money into a real estate investment but as it turned out all but 25 thousand dollars went into his personal account. With friends like that, you really dont need enemies. He is serving a 4 year sentence.
