CHULA VISTA COUPLE ACCUSED OF REAL ESTATE FRAUD

Husband, wife sold properties they didn’t own, officials say

A Chula Vista couple is accused of running a real estate fraud scheme in which authorities say they sold properties they did not own — sales that came as a surprise to both the actual property owners and the unsuspecting buyers.

The scheme came to light when the owner of a Norco home learned that someone had surreptitiously transferred the deed to his property, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case. Investigators linked the case to similar apparent fraud in Arizona and Texas.

Brenda Ann Gregory, 54, and Angel Alfonso Gutierrez, 55, were arrested in March and have been charged with five felonies, including grand theft, identity theft and money laundering. They also face an allegation of aggravated white collar crime, accused of taking upward of $100,000.

The arrests came the same day that investigators searched the recreational vehicle where the married couple lived at a Chula Vista RV park.

Gregory and Gutierrez posted bail and were released from custody. Neither has been arraigned. They could not be immediately reached for comment, and it was not clear whether either has an attorney.

In a sworn declaration seeking to arrest the couple, an investigator laid out his findings and said he believed they were “engaged in a long pattern of real estate fraud.”

The investigator said the couple would find neglected properties then, using bogus documents, they would transfer the property to a trust bearing a similar name as the actual owner.

Once that was done, the deed was transferred again, this time to the “Song Family Trust.” A for-sale sign went up on the land, and the properties sold to buyers who believed it was a legitimate real estate deal. In the Norco case, the property price was $189,000 — at $20,000 down and $1,300 a month.

According to the investigator’s declaration, the sellers insisted that the down payment be made as cash, cashier’s checks or money orders. The investigation also found that money deposits and transfers from trusts linked to the scam sometimes came on the same days that Gregory withdrew money from a Jamul Casino ATM.

The tip-off to the alleged scheme came when Riverside County sent a courtesy notice to the Norco landowner, confirming that the deed to his property had been transferred. The landowner, who had made no such deal, contacted authorities.

The ensuing probe turned up at least three more buyers involving properties in Arizona and Texas.

Entities associated with the alleged scam include the

Song Family Trust and the Amacker Family Trust, and payments were sent to a post office box in Garland, Texas. Prosecutors said the couple used the fake names of Joel R. Silva or Jose M. Garcia as designated trustees.

Riverside property owners who think they have been victimized were asked to call the Riverside County District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Hotline at (877) 7237779. If the property is outside Riverside County, victims are advised to contact authorities who handle real estate fraud in their area.