Texas Man Who Used Forged Deed In Failed Attempt To Swipe Property From Innocent Owner Gets 6 Months Jail Time; Cloud On Title Left Victim Unable To Proceed On Offer To Sell

In Anderson County, Texas, the Palestine Herald-Press reports:

• A 66-year-old Palestine man, who was found guilty Oct. 26 of securing execution of a document by deception in an amount not less than $1,500 and not more than $20,000, was given a six-month jail sentence.
  
  After finding Danny Padilla guilty, the jury sentenced him to six months in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice State Jail division.
  
  Padilla was eligible for probation from the jury, but the 12-member jury heard evidence that Padilla presented a forged Quitclaim Deed, to a notary public and represented it as being true and correct. The forged document was then submitted to the Anderson County Clerk’s office and filed as a record of deed.
  
  The deed purportedly was signed by the land owner, Donnie Mixon, who testified that the signature on the document is not his signature. Mixon and Brenda (Mixon) Huddleston testified that they were able to recover a portion of the monetary damages they suffered as a result of Padilla’s actions in a civil suit.
  
  They did not recover all of their losses, however, and felt criminal prosecution of Padilla was appropriate because it not only involved taking their property but filing a homeowner’s insurance claim for damage to the home
  
  The jury further heard that the Mixons were unable to proceed on an offer to sell the land because of the cloud on their title.

Source: Jury sentences man to six months for forged document.