Three men were arrested in Broward County, following a nine-month investigation into an alleged scheme to defraud homeowners and steal residential properties.
The alleged home theft scheme targeted 14 different homes, worth a combined $12.8 million, the Sun Sentinel reported. Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar anticipates more arrests tied to the fraud.
Investigators allege the three men arrested, Tyrone Jones, Michael Dupree and Yury Domatov, were the ringleaders of the scheme. They allegedly targeted homes owned by banks and elderly residents in Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Coral Springs, Weston, Hollywood and West Park, according to the publication.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the men and their co-conspirators successfully stole three properties. In at least three instances, the men moved into properties they successfully took over, according to the property appraiser.
Jones was arrested in October in the allegedly stolen home at 1621 Seabreeze Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, the Sentinel and arrest records show.
Domatov was also arrested at a reportedly stolen home at 4926 Southwest 44th Terrace in Dania Beach on Tuesday, according to the outlet and arrest records.
Dupree was arrested in Hillsborough County last week, arrest records show.
The crime ring members used the court system to commit their alleged fraud, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Officials say the fraudsters filed bogus civil lawsuits that would result in the court awarding them the homes.
Deed theft is not a new phenomenon.
New York Attorney General Letiticia James is investigating an eight-member deed theft ring in Queens. Three of the ring’s alleged members were arrested in December.
In the meantime, James is pushing to criminalize deed theft, which is notoriously difficult to prosecute.