C. Florida Man Charged With Recording Phony Land Documents In Alleged Vacant Home Hijacking Racket; Cops Suspect Him In At Least Four Other Scams

In Central Florida, the Orlando Sentinel reports:

• When Andrew Brown moved into a home in Deltona, he furnished it, brought along his dog and even installed an alarm system. He changed the locks and took down the for sale signs, authorities said. There was just one problem, say Volusia County Sheriff's investigators: He didn't own the house. Brown, who faces charges of burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief, is free on $20,000 bail from the Volusia County Branch Jail, while investigators continue to look into his activities, Sheriff's Office spokesman Gary Davidson said.

• An investigation into Brown began in March when a Realtor arrived at a home on Clay Court in Deltona to show it to potential buyers and found it filled with furniture. The Realtor called the Sheriff's Office. After deputies knocked on the door for quite some time, a woman with a 1-year-old child answered, Davidson said. The woman, who told deputies she and her boyfriend had rented the house from Brown, was ordered to vacate the house. Investigators then began looking into Brown and found his name in court records associated with a house on Shadow Ridge Drive, Davidson said.

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• Investigators said Brown filed a phony lien and a default notice at the courthouse and then insisted the paperwork proved he owned the house. Investigators disagreed and hauled him off the jail, Davidson said. Investigators believe Brown may have tried to pull off the same scam with at least four other houses, he said.

Source: Home sweet home was ticket to jail for Deltona man.