Clearwater Cops Pinch Pair Suspected Of Using Forged Land Documents To Hijack Title To Real Estate & Pocketing Proceeds From Subsequent Sales, Rentals

In Clearwater, Florida, the St. Petersburg Times reports:

• Two Clearwater women are accused of forging documents to fraudulently sell or rent homes in foreclosure, then pocketing the proceeds, authorities said.
• Clearwater police arrested Silvia N. Lopez-Mateos, 37, of 618 Snug Island, and Adriana Abreu, 43, of 943 Narcissus Ave., on Monday. Lopez-Mateos, whose alias is Lina Maria Alverez, was charged with grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification and violation of probation on a grand theft conviction out of Palm Beach County. Abreu, who also goes by the name Andriana Cortes, was charged with scheme to defraud, grand theft and several counts of sale of security by unregistered dealer.
• Clearwater police said employees at Integrity Title on Belcher Road contacted them and said they had been scammed out of $113,000 by a woman who forged a quitclaim deed to acquire a home, sold it and kept the proceeds.
• Detectives learned that Lopez-Mateos was working with Abreu and that the two had fraudulently purchased at least eight homes, then sold or rented them for profit, police said. Detectives suspect there may be more victims, said Clearwater police spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts.
• On Monday, when the two women went to another title company, Advantage Title on Belcher Road, to collect a $23,000 check for another property they obtained illegally, detectives closed in on them, police said.

For more, see Two women accused of selling homes they didn't own.