Real estate partners Peter Fisch and Salvatore Gogliormella’s latest Expert Opinion column, “Sovereign Citizen Deed Fraud Threatens Property Owners,” was published in the March 12 issue of the New York Law Journal. The authors discuss how members of the Sovereign Citizen movement, which the FBI classifies as a domestic terrorism group, use fraudulent deeds to claim ownership of properties. In some cases, victims are targeted for the purpose of retaliation, with the group “known to file fraudulent liens and deeds against judges, prosecutors, attorneys, or witnesses involved in prior legal proceedings against them.” Several states have enacted or proposed legislation addressing deed fraud, but the landscape remains mixed. Until recording systems evolve to incorporate more robust safeguards, vigilance on the part of property owners and their counsel is essential, the authors note.
Counsel Katharine McCormick and associate Leila Shirian assisted in the preparation of this article.
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