Washington Man Cops Plea To Theft; Pocketed $22K+ By Selling Home In Foreclosure, Failing To Pay Mortgage; Unwitting Buyers Failed To Check Title

In Douglas County, Washington, The Wenatchee World reports:

• A Wenatchee man pleaded guilty to third-degree theft for taking more than $22,000 in payments from a couple for a home he had no title to. Felix Hernandez Martinez, 25, originally charged with first-degree theft in January 2008 in Douglas County Superior Court, pleaded guilty Dec. 21 to the amended charge and was sentenced to 365 days imprisonment with 362 days suspended.

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• The husband and wife in July 2007 signed a purchasing agreement with Hernandez for an East Wenatchee home for $180,000, according to an investigation report, compiled by Detective Dan Dieringer with the East Wenatchee Police Department. Dieringer wrote that the couple gave Hernandez $700 in earnest money, and between July and December of that year, had paid Hernandez $22,500 total in cash payments. The report said no documents from the sale were filed or recorded with the court or the auditor’s office.

• The report said the couple moved into the home in August 2007 and that they never obtained a title check on the residence to determine whether Hernandez had a clear title to the property. In December of that year, Northwest Trustee Services conducted a foreclosure sale of the East Wenatchee property on behalf of Wells Fargo Bank because of a mortgage default by Hernandez, the report said.

For the story, see Man pleaded guilty to selling home already in foreclosure. rent to own lease purchase option scams yellowstone