Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Cops Haul In South Florida Man For Allegedly Using Forged Deed, Land Documents To Hijack Title, Possession Of Abandoned Home In Foreclosure

In Weston, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:
  • A 44-year-old man who has been squatting in a Weston home for at least a year has been arrested for attempting to take ownership of the residence through a quit-claim deed, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

    Compton R. Maycock-Beckles Jr. was arrested July 18, charged with grand theft, criminal use of personal identification information and three counts of unlawful filing of false documents or records.

    The home, at 2015 Lakeshore Drive, belonged to Gary Warren. He and his then-wife Beverly Jane-Warren bought the house in 2006 for $465,000, according to county property records. The house was assessed this year at just under $400,000, according to the Broward County Assessor's Office.

    The couple separated, moved out and later divorced and the house went into foreclosure, Warren said.

    But several fraudulent documents pertaining to the ownership of the property were filed with the county, investigators said, all containing Warren's forged signature. The documents named Global Management the trustee of the property, gave its "agent" Compton Maycock power of attorney for Warren, and transferred ownership of the home to Global Management, according to the arrest report.

    "I didn't sign any of them, I had no idea what was going on," Warren said.

    Warren, 66, is disabled and lives with his 35-year-old daughter Jessica Underhill in Palm Beach Gardens. "This whole situation is scary," Underhill said.

    Maycock-Beckles Jr. drew the attention of officers after a deputy saw him walk out of the house on June 17 and drive off in a car parked in the driveway. Maycock-Beckles was stopped a short time later and arrested for driving with a suspended license. Several inconsistencies surfaced as to his address, according to the arrest report.

    Warren, a retired operations manager for a construction company, said deputies showed up at his home in Palm Beach Gardens on July 6 to ask him if he knew what was going on with his Weston property. Although he was still the legal owner of the property, Warren said he assumed that the house had gone into foreclosure years ago.

    The foreclosure process on the home has restarted.