ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Clayton Real Estate Agent Arrested for Financial Elder Abuse & Forgery
San Francisco Chronicle
In Contra Costa last month, 63-year old real estate agent Walter Roberts was arrested and accused of forging his 92 and 85-year-old parents’ signatures on a Grant Deed. His parents neither knew about nor gave Roberts permission to sign their names on any document or check. The title in question is a home rental property in Concord, CA valued at over $300,000.
Roberts’ arrest was aided largely by the new “Fraud Notification Program” in Contra Costa County: a notification system that alerts homeowners as soon as title has been transferred. As part of the system, the County Recorder sends a letter to each homeowner in English and Spanish, and includes a hotline for the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit. The Program is the first of its kind in Northern California.
This instance of elder abuse and forgery is just one more in a series of troubling cases in California and across the country. Yet, the publicity of this case is a testament to the success of the Fraud Notification Program. As more measures are instituted to inform home and property owners – especially the elderly – of the status changes to their property, it becomes easier for these individuals to take action to prevent and recover from theft, fraud, and abuse. For inquiries regarding financial or physical elder abuse in California, contact the Evans Law Firm for a free consultation.
