Oklahoma City trio sentenced in property theft scheme
Three Oklahoma City residents were sentenced last week to federal prison for conspiring to steal titles to homes and other properties.
Laura R. Johnson, 47, Thomas Johhnson Sr., 54, and Cheryl M. Ashley, 72, were sentenced collectively to more than 21 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to take ownership of the properties without the consent or knowledge of the property owners.
The trio used fraudulent documents from 2014 until 2019 to obtain titles to homes and other properties.
They targeted properties that had delinquent property taxes and were subject to being auctioned by the Oklahoma County treasurer’s office.
Authorities said the scheme involved paying off one or more years of back taxes to cause the properties to be removed from the county tax auction.
The defendants then claimed they had purchased the properties at the county tax auction. Instead, they filed fraudulent warranty deeds to transfer properties into the names of fictitious companies and individuals.
The scheme included fraudulent confidential stamp tax affidavits and fake mortgages that contained forged notary signatures and seals.
More: An OKC trio stole a dead woman's home. Did they try to steal yours?
Authorities said some homeowners vacated their homes based on phony eviction notices.
The defendants targeted one home that had been owned by a woman who died in 2012.
They gained control of the woman’s property, found bank records in her home and forged a power of attorney to lie to the bank in an attempt to withdraw more than $100,000 from the woman’s bank account.
When that attempt failed, they tried to steal money by writing forged checks on the woman’s account and causing electronic transfers out of the account for their personal benefit.
Authorities said the trio also filed a false will in Oklahoma County District Court after the woman’s nephew learned of the death and filed a probate action.
Following a grand jury indictment, each defendant pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2020, to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Laura R. Johnson was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Thomas Johnson Sr. was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Ashley was sentenced to five years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Federal prison for Oklahoma City group that stole property
