Harris County sues 9 people over forged deeds that stole at least 10 homes, including a Sunnyside family's house

Keata Wade's grandmother bought a house on Teton Street in Houston's Sunnyside neighborhood and wanted it kept in the family for generations. She lived there until she died. Wade's father moved in after that and stayed until his own death. Today, people Wade has never met are living inside it.

"I'm here because me and our family had our family home stolen out from under us by someone we have never met," Wade said.

Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin announced two civil lawsuits this week against nine people accused of working together to fraudulently claim properties across the county. Investigators have tied at least 10 homes to the scheme so far, and county officials said the rightful owners no longer have access to about seven of those properties, each valued between $100,000 and $250,000.

The lawsuits describe forged signatures, fabricated identities and fraudulent notarizations used to move deeds out of the names of legitimate owners. Kamin said the defendants passed forged deeds among themselves before trying to sell homes they did not own to buyers who had no idea anything was wrong.

"They are tricking notaries into signing paperwork, faking identities on documents, and passing forged deeds back and forth to try and cover their tracks," Kamin said. "Then they try to sell these homes that weren't theirs for a profit to unsuspecting home buyers."

County officials said some notaries were deceived without knowing it. In certain instances, the scheme allegedly involved having unrelated documents notarized, then removing the notarized acknowledgment page and attaching it to a fraudulent deed before filing it with the county clerk.

Wade said her family learned what happened only after a Harris County Attorney's Office lawyer contacted them earlier this year.

"Earlier this year, we were contacted by an attorney in this office who informed us that they were investigating fraud that included the home of my grandmother, who has been deceased for several years," Wade said. "Apparently the people who did this forged my grandmother's signature and transferred the title to someone who was a fictional person made up for this fraud."

Wade said investigators believe the property was later transferred to a real person connected to a larger fraud network.

"Today, people we do not know are living in the family house that rightfully belongs to my family," Wade said.

Investigators found a pattern in several of the cases: a homeowner dies, and before their heirs sort out the estate, someone uses the deceased person's identity to transfer the property. Wade said the alleged theft of her family's home happened while she was grieving both of her parents.

"It was really tough, honestly, because not just grieving my father, my mother also passed away within that time," Wade said. "So two years later, I lost my mother. So I'm grieving both my parents, and then I have to deal with, you know, this as well."

Kamin said the lawsuits seek to return the properties to their rightful owners and pursue civil penalties against the defendants where appropriate. She pushed back on the idea that the case is just a paperwork dispute.

"And while we talk about this and say things like forged paperwork or fraudulent deeds, I want to be very clear," Kamin said. "These aren't just abstract DTPA violations under state law. These are people's homes, their livelihood, their generational wealth that they have worked hard to pass on to their children."

County officials said some of the stolen properties may have been sold or rented out after the fraudulent transfers, which means buyers or renters who had no knowledge of the scheme could also be caught up in the fallout. Investigators believe more victims beyond the 10 identified properties may exist and are continuing to review property records across the county.

Kamin said homeownership is one of the main ways families build financial stability from one generation to the next. She said her office is treating the cases as a priority for that reason.

"It is hard to believe someone could be brazen enough to literally steal a person's home," Kamin said. "But we are seeing it happen right here in Harris County to people who did nothing wrong."

Wade said she has spent years trying to find a path to get the Teton Street property back and plans to keep pursuing the case through the courts.

"This home is property my grandmother purchased to remain in my family for years and for us to pass on for generations to come," Wade said.

The two lawsuits remain pending in Harris County civil court. The county attorney's office said it is asking anyone who suspects their property records have been altered without their knowledge to contact the office and check their deed status with the Harris County Clerk.