Undercover Cops Bag Arizona Man Facing Foreclosure In Alleged Attempt To Strip Home Of Fixtures, Appliances & Unload Them Using Craigslist Ad

In Maricopa County, Arizona, The Arizona Republic reports:

• A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Kailash Bhatt, a local real estate agent, in connection with stealing various housing fixtures from a foreclosed house and reselling them. He was charged April 21 with theft and defrauding secured creditors.

• According to the legal report, Bhatt took fixtures — including kitchen cabinets, a granite counter top, a double oven, microwave and dishwasher — from a foreclosed Anthem home that he owns and attempted to sell them on Craigslist.

• Bhatt was arrested after accepting $2,000 of a deal totaling $9,000 from an undercover FBI Mortgage Task Force agent posing as a buyer, the report said. He intended to sell the fixtures from his home, violating a contract he signed with the mortgage company in control of the foreclosed property.

Another report on this story points out that the indictment represents the first of its kind involving a crime that local real estate professionals say is rampant. Disgruntled homeowners forced into foreclosure strip their properties before vacating them.

For more, see Real estate agent accused of stealing, selling home fixtures.

Go here for other posts on pre-foreclosure homeowner fixture stripping. foreclosure fixture stripping apple