Nevada AG Scores Indictment Of Robosigner Duo; Charges Allege Massive Fraudulent Foreclosure Document Manufacturing Racket

From the Office of the Nevada Attorney General:

• The Office of the Nevada Attorney General announced [] that the Clark County grand jury has returned a 606 count indictment against two title officers, Gary Trafford and Gerri Sheppard, who directed and supervised a robo-signing scheme which resulted in the filing of tens of thousands of fraudulent documents with the Clark County Recorder’s Office between 2005 and 2008.



• According to the indictment, defendant Gary Trafford, a California resident, is charged with 102 counts of offering false instruments for recording (category C felony); false certification on certain instruments (category D felony); and notarization of the signature of a person not in the presence of a notary public (a gross misdemeanor).



• The indictment charges defendant Gerri Sheppard, also a California resident, with 100 counts of offering false instruments for recording (category C felony); false certification on certain instruments (category D felony); and notarization of the signature of a person not in the presence of a notary public (a gross misdemeanor).



• ”The grand jury found probable cause that there was a robo-signing scheme which resulted in the filing of tens of thousands of fraudulent documents with the Clark County Recorder’s Office between 2005 and 2008,” said Chief Deputy Attorney General John Kelleher.



• The indictment alleges that both defendants directed the fraudulent notarization and filing of documents which were used to initiate foreclosure on local homeowners. The State alleges that these documents, referred to as Notices of Default, or “NODs”, were prepared locally.



• The State alleges that the defendants directed employees under their supervision, to forge their names on foreclosure documents, then notarize the signatures they just forged, thereby fraudulently attesting that the defendants actually signed the documents, which was untrue and in violation of State law. The defendants then allegedly directed the employees under their supervision to file the fraudulent documents with the Clark County Recorder’s office, to be used to start foreclosures on homes throughout the County.



• The indictment alleges that these crimes were done in secret in order to avoid detection. The fraudulent NODs were allegedly forged locally to allow them to be filed at the Clark County Recorder’s office on the same day they were prepared. District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti has set bail in the amount of $500,000 for Sheppard and $500,000 for Trafford.

For the Nevada AG press release, see Office of the Attorney General Announces Indictment In Massive Clark County Robo-Signing Scheme (Defendants to be Held Criminally Accountable for Filing Tens of Thousands of Fraudulent Foreclosure Documents).

For the criminal indictment, see State of Nevada v. Trafford. et ano. (440 pages).

See LPS Responds to Nevada Attorney General Announcement for Lender Processing Services' response to their two employees being pinched for their alleged involvement in the manufacturing of fraudulent foreclosure documents.