OKC trio stole dead woman's home, money

One man and two women who call Oklahoma City home spent years swindling their Sooner State neighbors out of their houses by using fake mortgages, fake lawyer names and fake eviction notices.

Federal prosecutors say Laura R. Johnson, 45, Thomas Johnson Sr., 52, and Cheryl M. Ashley, 70, committed mail and wire fraud from 2014 to 2019 to take more than a dozen home titles without the owners' knowledge, including the property of a dead woman.

Many of the properties the trio targeted had delinquent property taxes and were subject to being auctioned by the Oklahoma County Treasurer's Office.

By paying off years of back taxes, they caused the properties to be removed from the county tax auction.

The trio then filed fraudulent warranty deeds to transfer properties into the names of fictitious companies and individuals.

Prosecutors said the conspiracy included fraudulent confidential stamp tax affidavits and fake mortgages, all of which contained forged notary signatures and seals.

Some homeowners vacated their homes when they received phony eviction notices.

A few victims fought the take over of their homes in court, but Johnson, Johnson and Ashley filed pleadings with the names of fictitious lawyers and submitted affidavits in court signed by fictitious people, prosecutors said.

The trio targeted one home owned by a woman who died in 2012.

After they gained control of the dead woman's property, they used bank records they found in the home and forged a power of attorney to lie to the bank in an attempt to withdraw more than $100,000 from the dead woman's bank account.

When the attempted crime failed, they tried to steal money by writing forged checks on the dead woman's account and causing electronic transfers out of the account and into their pockets.

Prosecutors said the brazen trio also filed a false will in Oklahoma County District Court after the dead woman's nephew learned of her death and filed a probate action.

Based on fraudulent information, the court appointed

Laura R. Johnson as the personal representative of the estate, which allowed her to withdraw $63,950 from the dead woman's bank accounts and fetch $45,000 from her oil and gas investments.

On Tuesday, the trio pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

At sentencing in 90 days, Thomas Johnson, and Ashley face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison or a fine up to $250,000, or both.

Laura R. J ohnson f aces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison or a fine of $1 million, or both.