An 89-year-old woman in Louisville, Kentucky, narrowly avoided losing her home in a quitclaim deed scam. Russell Cheatham Jr., of Scottsburg, Indiana, is now facing criminal charges for allegedly using her personal information to fraudulently transfer ownership of her property.
According to court documents, the victim had been living in a nursing home for three years with Medicaid support. When her family was informed she could no longer stay in the nursing home due to Medicaid cuts, they discovered fraudulent paperwork had been filed to transfer the deed of her home in the Parkland neighborhood.
The forged deed claimed the victim had sold her home to Cheatham in June for about $46,000. However, the victim insists she never met Cheatham or sold her home, and her signature on the deed was forged.
Cheatham had even placed a for-sale sign with his name on the property and told a family member that he purchased the house because the former owner had died. Ashley Mack, niece of the victim, confronted Cheatham as he was removing belongings from the home.
“We had to tell Russell she’s alive and well, and even after hearing that, he continued to carry the things out of the home,” Mack said.
Fortunately, the victim’s name remains on the official records with the Property Valuation Administrator, protecting her ownership and preventing the loss of her home.
Cheatham faces charges including criminal possession of a forged instrument and theft of identity without consent.
Jefferson County encourages property owners to register for ClerkAlert, a free service that notifies individuals when documents are recorded in their name. Ashley Tinius, director of communications for the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, advises everyone who owns property to sign up to protect against deed fraud.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old. If you own property, put your name in ClerkAlert. If you own multiple properties, sign up for each one to get notifications of any fraudulent attempts,” she said.
