FAST FACTS
- It's so easy to steal a home in the Mid-South, that it only takes a few steps.
- One man says he lost two homes to the house stealing scheme, and he's fought for months to get them back.
- New legislation could cut down on the problem, by raising penalties and jail time.
(Memphis - 5/7/2009) It's not a burglary or a home invasion, but thieves across the Mid-South are on a mission to steal your greatest possession. They're looking for more than what's in your house -- they want the home itself.
"I called 911, my son called 911. And we told the police officers, someone had broke into my house," Abdul Zarif said.
But someone didn't just break into Abdul Zarif's North Memphis home, they stole it. Zarif says forged signatures and fraudulent documents cost him a second home, this time in Haywood County.
Zarif blames two men -- Willie Lynch, the man who claims to own the house, and Talut El-Amin, the Notary Public who made it possible. When we first caught up with Lynch, he didn't have much to say.
"I got deeds on it, I bought the house. That's all I'm gonna tell yall!" Lynch said.
Talut El-Amin talked to us on the phone. He said he notarized the deeds for Abdul Zarif, but refused to talk to us on camera.
Both men say they didn't steal the house in Memphis or Zarif's other home in Haywood County.
Zarif says his property in Haywood County was taken just days after the house in Memphis, and he's learned first-hand, it's just too easy.
"I said, anyone can walk up in here, with a phony deed, and you will accept it? What if someone would have done a dignitary like this? The national guard would have been out there!" Zarif said.
The process of stealing a home is so simple, it just takes a few steps. All a thief needs is a blank deed, a forged signature, and a notary stamp. Once it's filed, the house is considered "sold".
But new legislation, introduced after the WREG News Channel 3 Investigators exposed the problem, is designed to stop it.
State Rep. Ulysses Jones is proposing beefed up penalties for notaries who sign phony documents, trying to prevent house stealing from happening.
"Your situation with a house is fairly unprecedented," Rep. Henry Fincher told Zarif during a committee meeting.
As Zarif waits for help from Nashville, he's heading to court to fight for his homes. It's taken five months of trying to prove ownership of the property in Haywood County, but finally a judge agreed that Zarif is the true owner.
We went with Zarif to the property for his first visit back home. It didn't take long before reality set in. His home is now filled with shattered glass, syringes, and charred remains of what's left behind. Someone torched part of the place and ransacked the rest, leaving Zarif with an un-livable home.
"How is someone gonna come steal someone's dream because of a phony deed?" Zarif says he asks himself everyday.
Back in Memphis, the fight over Zarif's home is heated. The WREG News Channel 3 Investigators were there, when the Shelby County Sheriff's Department stepped in for eviction for the court-ordered eviction. Weeks earlier, there was a report of a robbery, shooting, and rape at this home, and deputies weren't taking any chances.
When the doors opened, seven occupants poured out of the stolen home, and they were not happy about the rude awakening.
Deputies arrested two of the men on warrants, and discovered four firearms -- one was stolen from a state trooper.
As Zarif entered his childhood home for the first time since November, his friends helped haul out mattresses, televisions and bags, leftover from the temporary tenants. It's an hour-long task, leaving Zarif angry with the un-welcomed squatters, and the system that failed to keep them out.
"It's bad man, I've never seen something like that. My mother, she's turning over in her grave now," Zarif said.
The people living in the house, and Willie Lynch, say Zarif is to blame, threatening him as he drives away.
For Zarif, the battle is far from over, as he continues his fight to convince legislators that house stealing is happening.
Rep. Henry Fincher of Cookeville agrees, this legal loophole should be closed.
"I don't care if it's a deed or a check. We prosecute people for worthless checks, the general sessions courts are full of them. We need to be prosecuting people that are forging deeds too," Rep. Fincher said.
But for now, this victim of a house stealing scheme is left with two properties -- one ransacked and ruined by fire. The other, he's too frightened to even visit. Losing everything that made his house a home, with no one left to hold accountable.
"I'm not a criminal. But the criminals need to be locked up," Zarif says.
The house stealing bill is gaining support in Nashville this week, and will soon face a judiciary committee vote. You can keep tabs on the bill's progress by clicking here: http://wapp.legislature.state.tn.us/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1637
To protect your home from being stolen: * Check your property records frequently to make sure your deed hasn't been transferred. You can check Shelby County's Register of Deeds online here: http://register.shelby.tn.us * If you receive any type of documents from a different mortgage company, that could be a red flag too.
