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LAND FRAUD NIGHTMARE – IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!

Shining the light on the ever-increasing crime of seller fraud, deed fraud, and seller impersonation Imagine sitting at home or working at the office, minding your own business, when suddenly you receive a disturbing phone call informing you that not only is someone impersonating you, but they are also in the process of trying to […]
The post LAND FRAUD NIGHTMARE – IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

June 14, 2023

Forward Times Staff

Shining the light on the ever-increasing crime of seller fraud, deed fraud, and seller impersonation

Imagine sitting at home or working at the office, minding your own business, when suddenly you receive a disturbing phone call informing you that not only is someone impersonating you, but they are also in the process of trying to sell your land without your consent or knowledge.

Believe it or not, deed fraud and land theft is very frequent in Harris County, and it happens more often than you think. As a matter of fact, it recently happened to someone very close to the Forward Times newspaper—its very own owner, Karen Carter Richards.

Earlier this year, a realtor came by Karen’s home on a Friday afternoon looking for her, but she was not home at the time. Fortunately, her son and his wife happened to be at her house that day. Once the realtor determined that he had indeed found “the real Karen Carter Richards,” he immediately informed her son that her property was set to be sold on Monday morning for $235,000. Yes, you read that right. Her property was set to be sold in a few days!

An imposter was seeking to hijack Karen’s property right from under her nose.

Karen eventually spoke with the realtor about her property over the phone and was told that the title company they had been working with on a land transaction involving her property made him aware of some serious red flags relative to the deal. They encouraged the realtor to locate “the real Karen Carter Richards,” because several things seemed abnormal and weren’t adding up.

Some of the red flags that gave the imposter away to the title company included them: not being able to provide key information and documents when asked; constantly telling the title company they couldn’t find certain requested items and were looking for them; trying to sell the property under market value; wanting to do a quick sell; and not wanting to come into the title company to sign important documents.

Once notified about the imposter and the suspected land fraud, Karen immediately contacted real estate veteran Gerald Womack at Womack Development & Investment Realtors, who handles all of her real estate properties. He spoke with the title company and the realtor and worked with them to put a halt to the fraudulent real estate transaction and prevent a catastrophe.

Gerald Womack

The case was then turned over to the Harris County District Attorney’s Consumer Fraud Division, who has been in contact with Karen multiple times. They discovered several fraudulent documents that had been created, where her signature was forged on them. Karen also filed a police report with the Houston Police Department (HPD) and investigators have been working with the Harris County District Attorney to bring criminal charges against the imposters.

The entire ordeal was extremely unsettling for Karen, who doesn’t know how something like this could have happened to her, let alone anyone.

“I was shocked that this could happen to a vacant piece of property that my family has owned and paid taxes on since I was a teenager,” said Karen. “This has never happened to any of our properties. I have learned that vacant land is a target, so I would encourage anyone to make a point to check on their property more regularly. These people had a For Sale sign on my property, but because I rarely go over there, I didn’t know.”

Womack states that outside of Karen’s situation, he recently has had two other instances where this occurred. In the first, the seller was alerted directly by the listing agent after she failed to show up to the closing. In the other instance, Womack states that he was pulling information for a client on their property and noticed that it was listed for sale online and was pending. When he brought it to the owner’s attention, the owner thought Womack was mistaken until he saw it for himself. Womack then contacted the listing agent and was able to get it pulled from the market.

Neither property was sold.

Womack believes that the only way this type of crime works is under anonymity.

“Historically, a seller will meet with a real estate agent in person and list their property,” said Womack. “We have become an email and text driven society and thus these criminals are able to carry out this scheme by creating fictitious email addresses, temporary phone numbers, and mobile applications, which provides them ways to text from untraceable numbers.”

Womack states that when he is made aware that a property owner may be subjected to some fraudulent activity, the first thing he does is have them contact the listing agent who is marketing the property and get the information of the title company. He also advises anyone in this situation to alert the local authorities to file a police report.

“In my experience, this crime is generally only done with vacant land, but that is not to say it could not happen on inherited property, abandoned property, or run-down property either,” Womack emphasized. “Property owners need to routinely check their respective county appraisal’s website to confirm there has been no change in ownership. I would also suggest that they visit their property, especially if it is not where they reside, to ensure no changes have been made without their knowledge.”

Valerie Turner currently serves as Assistant District Attorney and is the head of the consumer fraud division at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. She wants the public to know that the likeliest victims are people who don’t use a title company to close a land transaction.

“Without a title company to check the title history, it is easy for crooks to sell property they don’t own to unsuspecting buyers, who pay good money and expect good title,” Turner says. “If the buyer goes through a title company, purchases title insurance, and then there is a problem, the title company is on the hook to either get the buyer good title or refund all of their money. Of course, if a thief inserts his name into the title history using a forged deed, a title examiner will not catch that because the title company does not investigate beyond the four corners of the deeds. They don’t call the last true owner and ask, ‘Did you sign the deed to the (current seller)?’ They don’t research to find out whether the last true owner was alive at the time of the purported signing of the deed. That only happens once there is a complaint, and our office investigates.”

Turner tells the Forward Times that her office worked in conjunction with the Harris County Clerk’s Office to pass legislation in 2016, which no longer allows a person in Harris County to anonymously file a real property document.

According to Turner, the law now requires that the person present photo identification, which is then scanned in by the clerk. That information is not made public, but if a complaint is received and her office investigates, they can ask for a copy of the photo identification. This law only is applicable in Harris County, in that some of the smaller counties objected to such a requirement.

The areas in Harris County that most often see this kind of theft are neighborhoods with abandoned houses. The crook can change the locks, file a deed inserting him into the chain of title, and put up a sign advertising the house as for sale. Then they give the unsuspecting buyer a deed once payment is made in full. Because the buyer received the property via fraudulent deed, no ownership was conveyed. According to Turner, the Sunnyside community in southeast Houston is a neighborhood where deed fraud occurs frequently.

Turner states that a property owner might only find out this has happened to them if they were to drive by their property or their house and see that it is occupied. She states that the owner might also check the Harris County Appraisal District’s (HCAD) website, especially after not receiving a property tax bill for some time, and learning that the property is now in someone else’s name.

“To avoid falling victim to this crime, owners should check the HCAD website once a year to make sure the property is still in their name,” says Turner. “Also, they should make sure they receive their property tax bill. Buyers should always close with a title company. That way, if something goes wrong, they are protected. Another option would be to purchase deed fraud insurance. Homelock and other companies sell this product. I don’t know the details of the policy though. I’m not sure if they just alert the owner to the fact that the property has been taken out of their name, or whether they insure the value of the property if a sale occurs without the owner’s consent.”

Unfortunately, Turner states that if someone impersonates an owner and sells their property, which is most often what they see happen at title companies, the owner is often out of luck if the sales proceeds are actually sent to the land thief by the title company. But, Turner indicates, in a case like that, they are usually able to trace the money to an account and investigate from there.

“If a thief files a forged deed, and sells the property that way, then there will be a cloud on the title and the true owner will not be able to sell the property,” Turner emphasizes. “If the true owner does not want to sell to the unsuspecting buyer, then they will have to hire an attorney to file a suit to remove the cloud from the title. If the unsuspecting buyer contests the matter in court, it could cost up to $50,000 or more to correct the situation. The true owner could file a lawsuit against the title company for not confirming the identity of the seller. I don’t know how successful that would be, though.”

According to Turner, these incidents are criminal in nature, and the Harris County District Attorney’s office often files the following charges: Aggregate Theft, Forgery, False Statement to Obtain Property, or Securing Execution of a Document by Deception.

Turner states that if the land thief is caught and identified, prison time is a possibility depending on that person’s criminal history and their ability to pay restitution.

“If the thief has a prior felony conviction and served prison time, it is doubtful we would offer probation, so prison time would be more likely,” says Turner. “If there is a significant amount of restitution owed due to a defendant’s actions, then a requirement would be for the person to pay a substantial amount of restitution upfront and show an ability to pay the remainder of the restitution. If they can’t do that, then prison time will be our offer.”

Turner states that the amount of prison time a land thief serves is dependent on the facts of the case, the number of properties stolen and their values, and the defendant’s criminal history.

“If we file Aggregate Theft for stealing from a true owner and unsuspecting buyer (or more than one of each), then the amount of the theft can go up rather quickly,” says Turner. “If the total amount stolen is over $300,000, then the punishment range (assuming no other prior felony convictions with prison trips) is 5-99 years or Life with the possibility of a fine up to $10,000. I’ve had land thieves sentenced to probation and others sentenced to 28 years, 40 years, etc.”

The Texas Real Estate Commission has been assisting the Texas Land Title Association in educating real estate license holders on trending fraud schemes.

The Texas Land Title Association has reported seeing more people fall victim to seller impersonators, with the prime target properties being vacant land or investment property such as vacation homes, second homes, rental properties, and any other instance where the tax mailing address is different than the property owner’s address.

According to the Texas Land Title Association, a typical scenario involves an impersonator calling a sales agent for a property to be listed below market value, so that the potential buyer thinks the purchase is a bargain, and then to lure the agent into taking the listing, the imposter might say something like:

“This is a quick sale.”

Not only are land and property owners susceptible to this type of activity, but realtors are also at risk of representing someone who is not the rightful owner to the property they are trying to sell.

“This type of fraud is terrifying because of how much it has increased and how quickly,” said David Tandy, chair of the Texas Land Title Association’s Seller Impersonation Fraud Task Force. “Until that real seller decides to do something like refinance or sell the property, they are not aware of the fraudulent transaction involving their property. And by that point, the duped buyer has lost all their money, the real estate agents have lost their commissions, and the entire transaction is void.”

Realtors can be a huge part of the solution if they know what red flags to look for and understand how important their role is. Those red flags include:

The property in question involves vacant land or an owner not living on property.
Imposter Seller wants a quick sale.
Imposter Seller wants a cash sale.
The property is listed below market value.
Imposter Seller only wants to communicate by email or text and does not want to meet in person.
Imposter Seller’s phone area code is unrecognizable or foreign.

Before listing a property, realtors should make sure the property owners are verified by getting a copy of two forms of identification, asking for a recent utility bill, and asking questions about the property that only the true owner would know.

“This just suddenly exploded. We’ve seen similar forged deed fraud in the past, but this new type of fraud is just pervasive” said Leslie Midgley, executive vice president and CEO of the Texas Land Title Association. “These criminals are highly sophisticated with their schemes and hard to detect if you aren’t vigilant. Title agents and underwriters have implemented many best practices to try and shut these transactions down, but there is much work to be done as significant losses have already occurred and the criminals seem to be increasing their efforts, not retreating.”

If you, or someone you know, are the victims of land fraud, please contact local law enforcement, report it online to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/, and if you are in Harris County, reach out to the consumer fraud division at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office at 713-274-5555.

The post LAND FRAUD NIGHTMARE – IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! appeared first on Forward Times.

The post LAND FRAUD NIGHTMARE – IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Black Artists in America, Installation Three Wraps at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens

TRI-STATE DEFENDER — With 50+ paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the exhibit features artists like Varnette Honeywood from Los Angeles, whose pieces appeared in Bill Coby’s private collection (before they were auctioned off) and on “The Cosby Show.” Also included are works by Alonzo Davis, another Los Angeles artist who opened one of the first galleries there where Black Artists could exhibit.

Published

7 days ago

March 24, 2026

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By Candace A. Gray | Tri-State Defender

The tulips gleefully greet those who enter the gates at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens on an almost spring day. More than 650,000 bulbs of various hues are currently on display. And they are truly breathtaking.

Inside the gallery, and equally as breathtaking, is the “Black Artists in America, From the Bicentennial to September 11” exhibit, which runs through Sunday, March 29. This is the third installment of a three-part series that started years ago and illustrates part of the Black experience through visual arts in the 20th century.

“This story picks up where part two left off,’’ said Kevin Sharp, the Linda W. and S. Herbert Rhea director for the Dixon. “This era is when we really start to see the emergence of these important Black artists’ agency and freedom shine through. They start to say and express what they want to, and it was a really beautiful time.”

With 50+ paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the exhibit features artists like Varnette Honeywood from Los Angeles, whose pieces appeared in Bill Coby’s private collection (before they were auctioned off) and on “The Cosby Show.” Also included are works by Alonzo Davis, another Los Angeles artist who opened one of the first galleries there where Black Artists could exhibit.

“Though [Davis] was from LA, he actually lived in Memphis for a decade,” said Sharp. “He was a dean at Memphis College of Art, and later opened the first gallery in New York owned and operated by black curators.”

Another featured artist is former NFL player, Ernie Barnes. His work is distinctive. Where have you seen one of his most popular paintings, Sugar Shack? On the end scene and credits of the hit show “Good Times.” His piece Saturday Night, Durham, North Carolina, 1974 is in this collection.

Memphis native James Little’s “The War Baby: The Triptych” is among more than 50 works featured in “Black Artists in America, From the Bicentennial to September 11” at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, the final installment of a three-part series highlighting the impact and evolution of Black artists through 2011.

The exhibit features other artists with Memphis ties, including abstract painter James Little, who was raised in a segregated Memphis and attended Memphis Academy of Art (before it was Memphis College of Art). He later moved to New York, became a teacher and an internationally acclaimed fixture in the art world in 2022 when he was named a Whitney Biennial selected artist at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Other artists like Romare Bearden, who had a Southern experience but lived up North, were featured in all three installments.

“During this period of time, he was a major figure,” said Sharp. “He wrote one of the first books on the history of African American art during a time when there were more Black academics, art teachers, more Black everything!”

Speaking of Black educators, Sharp said the head curator behind this tri-part series and Dixon’s partner in the arts is Earnestine Jenkins, Ph.D., an art history professor at the University of Memphis, who also earned a Master of Arts degree from Memphis State University (now UofM). “We began working with Dr. Jenkins in 2018,” he said.

Sharp explained that it takes a team of curators, registrars, counterparts at other museums, and more, about three years to assemble an exhibit like this. It came together quite seamlessly, he added. Each room conjured up more jaw-dropping “wows” than the one before it. Each piece worked with the others to tell the story of Black people and their collective experience during this time period.

One of the last artists about whom Sharp shared information was Bettye Saar, who will turn 100 years old this year. She’s been working in Los Angeles for 80 years and is finally getting her due. Her medium is collages or assemblages, and an incredible work of hers is on display. She’s married to an artist and has two daughters, also artists.

The exhibit catalogue bears some of these artists’ stories, among other scholarly information.

The exhibit, presented by the Joe Orgill Family Fund for Exhibitions, is culturally and colorfully rich. It is a must see and admission to the Dixon is free.

Visit https://www.dixon.org/ to learn more.

Fun Facts: An original James Little design lives in the flooring of the basketball court at Tom Lee Park, and he makes and mixes his own paint colors.

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Grief, Advocacy, and Education: A Counselor Reflects on Black Maternal Health

SAN DIEGO VOICE & VIEWPOINT — Last month healthcare leaders, birth workers, and community members gathered to honor the legacy of Charleston native Dr. Janell Green Smith, a nurse-midwife and doctor of nursing practice who died in January from childbirth complications. She had participated in more than 300 births and specialized in helping Black women give birth safely.

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7 days ago

March 24, 2026

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By Jennifer Porter Gore | Word-In-Black | San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

In 2024, the number of U.S. mothers who died as a result of pregnancy or childbirth dropped compared to 2023. But while slightly fewer Black mothers died that year, they still had three times the mortality rate of white women.

South Carolina’s rates of maternal deaths outpaced even the national rates. In fact, the state’s overall rate of maternal deaths between 2019 and 2023 was higher than all but eight states and the District of Columbia.

Last month healthcare leaders, birth workers, and community members gathered to honor the legacy of Charleston native Dr. Janell Green Smith, a nurse-midwife and doctor of nursing practice who died in January from childbirth complications. She had participated in more than 300 births and specialized in helping Black women give birth safely.

Her death shocked the community and her colleagues who are determined to address concerns about Black maternal health. The event also covered the importance of protecting mental health during grief and of men’s role in solving the maternal health crisis.

As both a therapist and a father, Lawrence Lovell, a licensed professional counselor and founder of Breakthrough Solutions, discussed ways the event’s attendees could process their grief over Green Smith’s death. He also shared ways male partners can advocate for women’s maternal health during pregnancy and childbirth.

Lovell spoke not just as a therapist but also as a father whose own family had briefly crossed paths with Green Smith. The event, he said, emerged organically from a moment of collective mourning.

Despite the grief, “it was still, like, a really beautiful event, a much-needed event, and it almost felt like we were all giving each other a collective family hug,” says Lovell.

His connection to Green Smith, Lovell says, was brief but meaningful during his wife’s pregnancy with their second child. Green Smith was practicing at the same birthing center where they had their child. She began practicing in Greenville a short time later.Even that short connection carried significance for Lovell, given the small number of Black maternal health professionals.

Lovell did not initially plan to become a mental health practitioner; he chose the career path after graduating from college, when someone suggested he consider psychology. His interest deepened when he noticed how few Black men work in mental health.

“Being Black man and playing football in college, there weren’t a lot of people that look like me talking about mental health,” says Lovell. “[I wanted] to give people that look like me an opportunity to work with someone that looks like them.”

Working with Expectant and New Parents

Lovell often counsels couples preparing for parenthood by, helping partners understand what a successful pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery look like. That often means helping women manage postpartum depression.

As a man, Lovell says, it’s “humbling” that a woman “just trusts me enough to work with me through their pregnancy or their postpartum recovery.”

In his work, Lovell has noticed how few men understand pregnancy before they experience it with their partner. Because early pregnancy symptoms are often invisible, he says, men may underestimate how much support a mom-to-be actually needs.

“Sometimes they may not realize they don’t know much about pregnancy and what to expect in those three trimesters,” Lovell says. “I tell a lot of the men that just because you can’t see [she’s pregnant] doesn’t mean that she won’t appreciate your intense support in that first trimester.”

Education about pregnancy and postpartum recovery, he says, can change how men support their partners.

Teaching Advocacy in the Delivery Room

Another major focus of Lovell’s counseling is preparing men to advocate for mothers during labor.

“Helping men understand what pregnancy looks like: what delivery is going to look like, and what are the realistic expectations that I should have of myself in postpartum,” he says.

Lovell encourages partners to be honest about their expectations for what will happen during delivery. He helps them prepare for the big day by discussing the birth plan and knowing how to quickly recognize problems. Clear communication, he says, prevents misunderstandings.

He regularly trains men to ask their partners detailed questions about their expectations during and after pregnancy. Advocacy in medical settings can be especially important and requires attention to details the mother may not be able to address.

“It’s always important to fine-tune things and truly understand what helps your partner feel most supported,” Lovell says. “Instead of guessing, you should ask.”

Lovell recalls a moment during the birth of his first child when he had to take that role.

During the delivery, “I felt like something wasn’t as sanitary as I’d like it to be,” he says. “I asked, ‘Hey, can you switch those out? Can you change your gloves?’”

Lovell has a succinct but powerful message he regularly shares with clients’ families, and he shared it with attendees at last month’s event.

“Just to believe women,” he says. “I’ve worked with different couples, and sometimes I’m not really sure that there’s enough empathy from the men.”

That includes how women express pain.

“If a woman says, ‘my pain is at a nine,’ just because how you would express yourself at a nine is different than how she’s expressing herself at [that level] doesn’t mean you shouldn’t believe her,” he says.

Empathy, he says, can change outcomes far beyond the delivery room.

“We’ve got to believe women when they’re talking about their experiences and their feelings and their pain,” he says. “I think there’s a lot that we can prevent if we empathize better.”

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Future of Florida’s Black History Museum in Limbo

JACKSONVILLE FREE PRESS — A proposal sponsored by Tom Leek, a Republican from Ormond Beach, has now passed the Senate in back-to-back legislative sessions. But the House version, filed by Kiyan Michael, a Jacksonville Republican, did not receive final approval in either year, effectively stalling the effort.

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7 days ago

March 24, 2026

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Jacksonville Free Press

Plans to establish a long-awaited Black history museum in Florida are once again on hold after legislation needed to advance the project failed to clear the state House for a second consecutive year, despite repeated approval in the Senate.

A proposal sponsored by Tom Leek, a Republican from Ormond Beach, has now passed the Senate in back-to-back legislative sessions. But the House version, filed by Kiyan Michael, a Jacksonville Republican, did not receive final approval in either year, effectively stalling the effort.

Under Florida law, identical or similar bills must pass both chambers before heading to the governor’s desk. Without House approval, the legislation has been unable to move forward, leaving the project in limbo. Long journey, contested location.

The proposed museum, formally known as the Florida Museum of Black History, has been years in the making, with lawmakers and community leaders framing it as a long-overdue institution to preserve and showcase the state’s African American heritage .A central point of contention has been the museum’s location. St. Augustine — widely recognized as the nation’s oldest city and a site deeply tied to both slavery and early Black history — emerged as the leading contender. Supporters argue the city’s historical significance makes it a natural home for the museum. However, competing interests and regional considerations have fueled debate, slowing consensus among lawmakers.

While the Senate-backed measure has consistently advanced, the lack of alignment in the House has underscored ongoing divisions about how and where the project should take shape.

The holdup in the Florida House appears to be less about opposition to the museum itself and more about a combination of procedural bottlenecks, unresolved structural issues, and lingering disagreements over how the project should be formalized and governed.

Despite the legislative setbacks, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has publicly voiced support for the museum. Speaking last month during the unveiling of a statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass in St. Augustine, DeSantis said the project would move forward “one way or another,” signaling an intent to see the museum built regardless of legislative hurdles.

The anticipated museum has already cleared several hurdles. St. Johns County signed an agreement last year with Florida Memorial University to use the land that once housed its campus last year’s legislative session netted $1 million in funding for St. Johns County to work on planning and design for the museum. However, its anticipated that a million $3 million is needed.

Still, without statutory approval to finalize key components — including governance, funding mechanisms and site selection — the project remains largely conceptual.
With the House bill failing again, the timeline for the museum’s development is unclear. Lawmakers could revisit the proposal in the next legislative session, but any further delays risk pushing the project back several more years. Advocates warn that continued inaction could stall momentum for a museum many see as critical to telling a fuller, more accurate story of Florida’s past. For now, the effort remains paused — caught between political support at the top and legislative gridlock within the Capitol.