A WOMAN learned her home wasn’t hers after a stranger bought it without her knowledge more than a decade ago and now she owes thousands in back taxes.
Robin Mobley of Trotwood, Ohio – about 80 miles east of Columbus – has been fighting in court to reclaim her home after it was taken from her as a result of a quitclaim deed fraud.
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A quitclaim deed is a document that can transfer the ownership of a property with no money involved or a title search done to verify ownership.
“This has been a stressful process,” she told the Dayton Daily News in February of this year.
“I’m tired, but I just want my house back.”
A quitclaim deed can be fraudulent if a fake signature is owed or a negligent or complicit notary is involved.
Mobley believes the deed was a fraud after finding out last year that her ownership was transferred to her home.
She received a summons in the mail naming her as a defendant in a mortgage foreclosure case.
The case progressed through the court system for nearly a year, around the same time she was battling lung cancer.
Mobley owned the home in 2010, according to Montgomery County property records, however, in 2021, ownership was transferred to Rush Plaza Corp in 2012 through a quitclaim deed.
The company is owned by Demetrious Rush, a realtor whom Mobely was working with to put the home up for sale at the time.
However, Rush signed a delinquent tax contract to make payments on taxes for the home, according to court records.
Mobley was in Georgia when the quitclaim deed was filed in 2012 and she says her signature was forged on the document.
Email correspondence between the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office and a Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office detective state that the quitclaim deed for Mobley’s home seemed fraudulent, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
Mobley tried to pursue criminal charges but was told by the Prosecutor’s Office that it wasn’t possible due to Rush’s death in 2017.
The home also gathered more than $13,000 in delinquent taxes, according to the auditor’s office records.
If Mobley reclaims the home, the delinquency could be shifted to her.
Montgomery County Recorder Stacey Benson-Taylor reported in December that her office saw an increase in quitclaim deed complaints.
In 2021, there were roughly one to two complaints per month, however, there are now two to three complaints per week, said Benson-Taylor.
What is a quitclaim deed scam?
At least 400 cases of quitclaim deed fraud have been filed throughout the Mid-South. Here’s how they work.
- Quitclaim deeds allow for quick and easy property transfers between individuals. Thieves can pressure people into signing the form or forge their signatures without their knowledge.
- Once the criminals have a signed deed, they can bring it to a county register that is often obligated to file the paperwork.
- When the document has been processed, the thief can quickly rent, mortgage, or sell the property without the rightful owner’s knowledge.
“It’s important that we’re having conversations about this,” she told the outlet.
“It’s about helping people understand this is an issue and there are ways we can help protect your property.”
Mobley is representing herself in court after not being able to afford the $20,000 estimated cost of an attorney.
However, she is still facing court fees and overwhelming emotional labor.
“If I’m going to fight, I’m going to fight for all of us,” Mobley said, referring to other victims in her position. “This movement is for the people.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Rush Plaza Corp., the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office, and the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
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