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‘Squatters stole my house’: US couple’s home sold for ₹1.72 crore, they had no idea
A woman learned that her house had been sold after the title documents for the property were published on the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office website.
A couple in Arizona was shocked to find that their house had been sold. According to ABC 15, two squatters sold their home for $200K ( ₹1.7 crore), and the couple had no idea about it.
D’Andrea Turner and her ex-husband Keith learned that their house's title documents, which were sold without their knowledge, were also uploaded on the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office website.
“This is home. It will always be home,” Turner told ABC15, adding, “I raised my babies here.”
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How was the home sold?
According to the outlet, Turner and Keith used to live on the property when they were married. However, she eventually moved out. As a long-haul trucker, Keith mostly spends his time on the road, leaving the home vacant for long periods.
Reportedly, the squatters took advantage of this situation after forcefully entering the house without anyone knowing. 51-year-old Aaron Polmanteer and 37-year-old Lledera Hollen then used the papers inside the property to forge more documents, impersonating Turners. Eventually, they “assumed the identity” of the Turners and sold the house.
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“That is not my name, and that’s not my signature,” Turner told the outlet. “How does this happen? At what point that someone didn’t do their job?”
What did the police say?
James Carrieres, who investigates document fraud for the Phoenix Police Department, told the outlet, “The property did have documents in it of the true homeowners, and they assumed the identity of the homeowners and turned around and produced fraudulent identification.”
“That should put people on alert to know if, out of the blue, you suddenly get a notice from our office saying something has been filed in your name, then you have the opportunity to call our office, contact law enforcement and put a stop to it,” said Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap.
