According to the police, a man pretended to be the son of a lady to sell his house where he did not even live. Meanwhile, this 86-year-old woman was bedridden in a nursing home not knowing what was going on.
Tom Roy Jenkins is behind bars tonight for committing racketeering and other crimes by posing as the son of an elderly woman to sell his house without her consent.
“It all started in early February when he presented the title company with an arrangement for a contract to sell this property,” police said.
According to Miami Dade police, the man was acting under a different name and forged the 86-year-old’s signature, as well as a power of attorney and other documents. He then took them to real estate fencing company Marina title llc in North Miami in order to obtain revenue from the seller of the property.
“An 86-year-old woman who is in bed and cannot move and does not even know what is going on because there is an individual here who is fraudulently robbing her home,” police said.
Authorities say the victim’s home is valued at $422,000, nearly $80,000 less than the defendant wanted to sell. According to expert title deed lawyers, an in-person visit is required to complete the process and that could be the red flag.
The victim didn’t even live at the residence, located southwest of Miami near Coral Way, but was currently in a nursing home and, according to detectives, was unable to make his own decisions.
According to the arrest report, the company handling the paperwork became aware of the illegal activity and notified police, who arrested the 43-year-old subject at local offices today, while he was about to collect a check for the alleged sale of the house.
Jenkins, for his part, remains under arrest at TGK jail on $45,000 bond. Authorities do not believe this is the first time he has done so, so if he has been a victim he can contact the economic crime hotline by calling 305-994-1000.