Hillsborough County property fraud alert system helped catch married couple accused of stealing home
TAMPA, Fla. - A married couple was arrested and accused of forging deeds, and the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court said its free alert system notified the homeowner of the suspicious activity.
"This is our first case that we actually can say these people had registered for our property fraud alert system. They were alerted to the issue. And that's how law enforcement got involved," Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Cindy Stuart said.
New laws passed last year now require Florida’s clerk of court offices to offer a free property fraud alert system. The system, which must be in place by July 1, notifies residents when documents are filed against their homes.
"It is a less than five-minute process to register your home," Stuart said. "So this five-minute process can save you thousands and thousands of dollars and lots of headaches."
Stuart told FOX 13 the county’s alert system has been in place since 2015, but only 50,000 homes are signed up, which represents just a fraction of the homes in the county.
READ: Property fraud tool helps Bay Area homeowners combat criminals trying to take over residence
Larry and Dreama Bilby registered their Tampa home, which is under renovation, after noticing suspicious activity on their security cameras.
"And within two days, we got a fraud alert from them," Larry Bilby said.
Court documents show married couple Michelle Cherry and Victor Rodriguez went to the Hillsborough County Clerk’s office in February and filed a quit claim deed on the Bilby’s property.
"Tampa has had a history of pirates since 1904. These are title pirates," Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said.
The Bilbys said they noticed some of their mail was missing, and some of the mail had Cherry’s name on it.
"We saw that she had registered her driver's license to that address, voter registration to that address," Larry Bilby said.
Tampa police responded to the Bilby’s home in March. Officer-worn body camera video shows Cherry explaining to the officer that she has an "agreement" with the owner, who she calls "Larry." Cherry can be heard telling police that she owns the property and that the utilities are in her name.
Cherry and Rodriguez were arrested during a traffic stop in March. Court documents show the pair filed quit claim deeds for two other properties in Tampa. Additionally, records show they communicated with real estate agents in an attempt to sell the properties.
"She had a forged deed in her car at the time of her arrest," Lopez said. "She is looking at over 275 years in the Florida State Prison for what she is alleged to have done. She has seven counts of a crime that is a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years by stealing someone's identity, and that carries a ten-year mandatory minimum prison sentence."
We’ve reached out to Cherry and Rodriguez asking for comment and will let you know when we hear back.
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