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Detroit man at center of property scheme involving fraudulent deeds

Posted at 6:39 PM, Sep 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-26 18:39:09-04

"Time is money," reads one of James Anthony Webb's tattoos. Investigators with Wayne County's Deed Fraud Task Force say Webb wasted no time conning people out of their hard earned money in a scheme that involved bogus documents and fraudulent deeds to 19 properties in the city of Detroit.

"And this was all done without the knowledge, or consent, of the lawful property owner," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Tuesday at a news conference where 34 felony criminal counts against Webb were announced, including Extortion and conducting a Criminal Enterprise.

Prosecutors have charged three others as alleged accomplices - Geneva Edwards, 42, of New Baltimore; Zarvelar Weems-Jones, 47, of Southfield; and Trini El-Bey, 52, of Detroit. 

All three face multiple felony counts including Conducting a Criminal Enterprise.

Investigators say some of the suspects would collect a fee, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, from the victims by claiming they could get them ownership of vacant properties.

After paying the money, the victims "would get a false or forged affidavit, or fake quit claim deed, to a property that was unlawfully recorded with the Wayne County Register of Deeds," according to a statement from the prosecutor's office.

The alleged scheme was revealed after the actual property owners found people living in, or trying to move into, their properties.

In some cases, Webb allegedly contacted the actual property owners to tell them that he'd taken possession of their houses and that he would vacate only if they paid him money.

The people allegedly conned are from Detroit, Canton, Oak Park, Eastpointe, Texas, Georgia, Ontario, and Ireland.

Webb and the others have not yet been arraigned on the current charges.

Webb is currently in a Michigan prison where he's serving time for money crimes.

Wayne County Register of Deeds Bernard Youngblood says people can monitor land records by registering their name at WayneCountyLandRecords.com and following the instructions under Fraud Alert.

And if you think fraud has been committed with your property, you can call the Fraud Hotline at 313-224-5869.