2 criminally charged for quit claim deed fraud

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Two people have been criminally charged in relation to quit claim deed theft — a crime 2 NEWS has been tracking for months.

2 NEWS reporter Aaliyah Seabrooks was the first to bring you stories of families who had their homes stolen through fraudulent quit claim deeds. Now, the county is cracking down on the property theft.

Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. announced Thursday afternoon that two individuals used forged quit claim deeds to take ownership of at least three homes in the Miami Valley. Now, they are behind bars and facing criminal charges.

Diamond Deshawn Washington and Rosalyn Monique Johnson are being indicted along with their LLC, Love Has Homes.

Washington and Johnson are accused of stealing homes in Dayton, Centerville, and Huber Heights, then reportedly trying to sell them below market value to unsuspecting buyers.

2 NEWS is working to learn which addresses were targeted.

According to county officials, these crimes happened between April 11 and Sept. 5 of this year. The pair reportedly attempted to sell one home at nearly $100,000 less than the property’s value.

They now face six counts of forgery, one count of grand theft, and three counts of tampering with government records, among other charges.

Washington and Johnson are currently in the Montgomery County Jail. They are scheduled to be arraigned in court on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Prosecutor Heck says the county will continue to go after these criminals, but people should be cautious when using a quit claim deed.

“If somebody says, we want to sell you a property with a quit claim deed, that automatically raises a red flag and that red flag says stop, don’t do it,” said Heck.

Original article: https://www.wdtn.com/news/crime/2-criminally-charged-for-quit-claim-deed-fraud/