Man charged with forging quitclaim deed to steal property
by: Megan Fayard
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man is being accused of forging a fake quitclaim deed after being evicted in an attempt to steal the property he leases for his business.
James Lawson, 38, is charged with theft of property $60,000-$250,000, forgery $60,000-$250,000, Identity Theft, and Unlawful to Draw Property Transfer Documents without interest in Property.
On Monday, a police report was submitted claiming a fake quitclaim deed was filed with the Shelby County Register of Deeds. A quitclaim is a document that transfers real estate ownership from one person to another.
The document allegedly included a forged signature from an employee at Prem Investments, the company that owns the property occupied by Lawson and Lawson Mobile Notary Services. A lawyer for Prem Investments told police that the investment company did not sell the property on Bonnie Drive.
Reports say the document listed Randy Lawson as the new owner and James Lawson as the notary. The attorney says that Randy and James were tenants of the building but were evicted and refusing to leave.
Investigators obtained video footage of James Lawson filing the fraudulent quitclaim on Feb. 19. He was taken into custody on Wednesday.
James is being held on an $80,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning.
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