HOUSTON – Harris County homeowners are celebrating a big win days after a KPRC 2 story about their shock to find out their property deeds had been transferred to a total stranger.
The deeds have now been put back into their names with help from local attorneys Marianne Robak and Lori Hood, who discovered the suspicious deeds during an investigation for their lawsuit against Houston-based Surrogacy Escrow Account Management or SEAM and owner Dominique Side.
According to Harris County Real Property Records, three deeds got filed March 20 at the exact same time, transferring the ownership of three properties to Helen Yancy. All three of the grantors listed on the deeds told KPRC 2 they didn’t know Yancy and didn’t sign the documents.
Selia Ybarra, who KPRC 2 featured on Tuesday night at 10, said she’s hoping to finally get some sleep after finding out the news that her deed got transferred to Yancy.
“These are joyful tears because I’m happy and relieved. I can breathe,” Ybarra said after filing the new deed on Friday afternoon. “I have not slept much.”
Jose Acevedo, another alleged deed fraud victim involving Yancy, told KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry he’s relieved and grateful for the help.
“I never thought something like this could happen and I thank you Bryce for letting us know because we would’ve never found out,” Acevedo said after filing his deed on Friday.
What happened
Less than a week ago, Newberry called Ybarra and Acevedo after reviewing Robak’s court filing in the surrogacy theft lawsuit which shined light on the three suspicious deed transfers to Yancy, all stamped by the same notary.
“We actually almost wanted to hang up on you because it just sounded so off the wall,” Acevedo’s wife, Nidia, said. “We wouldn’t have even known about it, that’s the scary part.”
The notary, when tracked down by KPRC 2 last week, said his stamp had been missing but he didn’t have a clear story about when it disappeared or under what circumstances. He said he had only been involved in one deed transfer with Yancy.
Both Ybarra and Acevedo said they had no intentions of leaving or selling their properties.
“I don’t understand how somebody can do that,” Ybarra said. “It’s stealing. It just turns my stomach.”
Yancy has also been named as a defendant in the lawsuit because five acres of land that initially belonged to the surrogacy company also got deeded to her amid an ongoing legal battle. That transfer also had the same notary’s stamp.
“You picked up on it and you ran a story on it,” Robak said. “After you reached out to these homeowners about these deeds, they called me, or emailed me asking what they’re supposed to do.”
Getting the property deeds re-conveyed
After Robak saw KPRC 2′s original story on Tuesday night, she said she asked the alleged victims for permission to try to get their properties back.
“The next morning (after the story aired), I emailed Helen Yancy because I had her email address from her filings (in the lawsuit) and asked her if she was willing to re-convey those properties back to the homeowners, and she responded and agreed,” Robak said.
Hood drafted the documents to be sent to Yancy on Wednesday evening, and they received signed and notarized documents back from Yancy on Thursday afternoon.
“This was something that I wanted to do for these homeowners, because I saw their interview with you and just felt compelled to help them,” Robak said. “I don’t know her motives or if she did it at all. I do know that I asked if she was willing to re-convey them back, and she jumped at the opportunity.”
Filing the new deeds
KPRC 2 joined Ybarra and Acevedo at the Harris County Clerk’s Office on Friday afternoon to file their new deeds.
“I don’t have high blood pressure but I guarantee this blood is running,” Ybarra said while waiting for the documents to be filed.
The Acevedos said it’s not just their home that was re-conveyed, but also the home of their eight fur babies.
Once in the clerk’s office, the process only took about five minutes. They had to present her photo identification and was told the documents will show up online by Tuesday.
“Everything’s filed. Everything. Look, look, look what you made happen,” Ybarra said. “I have angels in heaven and they do watch out for me.”
Her home, which has been in the family for six decades, will eventually be passed down to the next generation, she said.
“I was not going to let this person get under me, but you know what? These are joyful tears ... thank you,” Ybarra said.
Yancy has not answered any questions from KPRC 2 about the deeds or admitted to any wrongdoing.
Both Ybarra and Acevedo said they have filed reports with law enforcement about the alleged forgery and fraud.
“I’m a big believer in karma. What you do, you always get it in return before you leave,” Nidia Acevedo said.
A real estate attorney told KPRC 2 earlier this week that getting a deed transfer back in the right name requires a court order or a fraudster agreeing to return the property.
Harris County Constable Alan Rosen said Texas laws need to be stronger to prevent fraudulent deed transfers because investigators have seen an uptick in the use of fake or stolen notary stamps. Felony charges for fraudulent deed transfers could include impersonating a public servant, theft, or tampering with a governmental record, he said.
As of this writing, no charges have been filed.
The deed transfers were first discovered in Harris County Real Property Records, which Ybarra and Acevedo encouraged everyone to keep an eye on after going through this process. You can look up your name in the records here.