Northern Virginia Alleged Deed Theft Scam Involving Forgery, Vacant Homes Now Subject Of FBI Probe

In Northern Virginia, The Washington Post reports:

• The FBI is investigating whether employees of a now-defunct Northern Virginia mortgage company were involved in what several lawsuits allege was a scheme to steal vacant houses by forging deeds, according to people familiar with the probe. The people under investigation worked for 1st American Mortgage of Vienna, which boasted that it delivered "honest expert advice." The company, which operated about half a dozen satellite offices in the Washington area, went out of business last fall after eight years. The former chief executive's $2 million house in a gated community in McLean has been foreclosed upon.

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• The property owners have alleged in separate lawsuits that people, unbeknownst to them, illegally took possession of their vacant property by forging the deeds, and then attempted to sell the property. Loans in both situations were arranged by a 1st American employee. Late last year, judges found that the deeds were invalid and ordered the properties returned to their rightful owners.

For more, see FBI Probes Va. Company's Workers in House Swindle (Lawsuits Outline Scheme to Forge Deeds to Steal Vacant Properties).

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