St. Louis County Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing at Least 14 Properties With Fraudulent Deeds
St. Louis is an independent city in Missouri. James L. Townes Jr., 51, of Berkeley, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Oct. 15 to a conspiracy charge, admitting he stole at least 14 properties in St. Louis and St. Louis County by filing fraudulent deeds, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Townes admitted that beginning as early as Sept. 25, 2018, he filed deeds falsely claiming that he or his relatives had purchased other people's properties. He and co-defendant Charnay Bartlett used fraudulently obtained notary seals to authenticate the forged signatures of the true owners. At least 14 properties were transferred to Townes, his companies or his friends and family; the scheme involved the names of 10 or more individuals and intended losses exceeding $1.5 million. At least three owners were deceased when their purported signatures were authenticated. Some owners spent considerable resources regaining title; others abandoned their properties, and in some cases Townes forced entry and squatted in the homes. Bartlett, 30, pleaded guilty in April and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 2. Townes is set for sentencing Jan. 21; the charge carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the HUD and Social Security inspectors general, St. Louis County police and Hazelwood police.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：圣路易斯托马斯·F·伊格尔顿美国联邦法院大楼夜景。图片来源：Johnhochi，CC BY-SA 4.0。Photo: The Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis at night. Image: Johnhochi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
