Jury Convicts Scammer Of Illegally Taking Title To Home With Forged Deed & Pocketing Proceeds Of Subsequent Mortgage Refinance

From the Office of the San Bernardino County, California District Attorney:

• On Tuesday, October 27, 2009, [...] 9 guilty verdicts were read in the case of People v. Oralia Hidalgo, 46, of Colton. The jury found the defendant guilty on felony counts ranging from forgery, grand theft, filing of false instruments, and a grand theft enhancement.

• In July 2003, Hidalgo forged the victim’s name on a Grant Deed illegally taking title to a residence in Colton. She encumbered the property by taking a loan on it. Subsequently, the victim discovered the fraud and confronted Hidalgo at the property. Hidalgo immediately sold the property to an unsuspecting real estate agent for $125,000.

• The defendant falsified several real estate deeds and forged the signature and stamp of a notary public. Hidalgo, a tax preparer who owned her own business, was extremely sophisticated in falsifying several deeds. The fraudulent deeds were later recorded at the San Bernardino County Recorder's Office.

For the San Bernardino County DA press release, see Guilty Verdicts in Real Estate Fraud Case. DeedContraTheft