Sun, 22 Jun 2025 21:28:55 -0700 marlon from private IP, post #13805643 /all deed fraud https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2025/06/22/crackdown-on-deed-fraud-bolstered-by-new-state-law/84285107007/ Wayne County Register of Deeds warns against deed fraud Portrait of Julia CardiJulia Cardi The Detroit News The Wayne County Register of Deeds is warning residents to be on guard against deed fraud, saying his department has gotten involved in about a dozen cases of deed theft totaling more than $1 million since March. The cases come after a new state law went into effect this spring that makes the submission of fraudulent documents to deed offices a felony. The law, which also designates registers of deeds as co-victims in the cases, allows the office’s attorneys to investigate the cases and refer the fraud to the prosecutor’s office, said Register of Deeds Bernard Youngblood. He said the theft involves forging deed transfer documents to fraudulently transfer ownership of property, and rightful owners then have to go through a legal process to reclaim their property. If deed theft isn't prevented, title companies may see it as too risky to insure properties, Youngblood added. "If the theft of homes continues to be unchecked, then the real estate industry comes to a screeching halt because title companies will not take that risk," Youngblood said. Michigan's Legislature passed a pair of bills last November making it a felony to submit forged fraudulent documents to a register of deeds, which took effect March 19. Youngblood said the new legislation also provides a benefit to the public because the register of deeds has resources to investigate suspected fraud, where individual owners may not have money to hire an attorney for getting their property back. "You take an oath to defend the database integrity, and so now you take on the battle of these people stealing homes," Youngblood said. DDeed fraud has long been an important issue to Youngblood. He was part of starting Wayne County's Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit along with Prosecutor Kym Worthy and then-Sheriff Warren Evans, which he said was among the first task forces of its kind in the country. jcardi@detroitnews.comReplies require login.
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