Title Thieves Are Robbing the Dickens Out of Homeowners

Richard Helbig is a 75-year-old retired home renovator. Now, Helbig is back to work—as a dishwasher. What happened? 

He lived in his four-bedroom home in North Carolina for 16 years. He redid the kitchen and bathrooms. He paid off the home loan and accumulated $200K+ in equity. But a couple of title pirates took it all.

Helbig now rents a motel room week-to-week, with a roommate.

Unlawyerly Conduct in Asheville

The nonprofit publication Asheville Watchdog ran a series on this matter, under the title Equity Erased.

The Watchdog names Lisa Roberts-Allen, and Asheville lawyer Ilesanmi Adaramola, as accused of taking Helbig’s property by false pretenses. The pair recently pleaded not guilty. Another Asheville lawyer, Robert Tucker, was convicted this year of conspiring with the pair to take the home of a former police officer. Tucker’s been in prison since late February—and the judge in Tucker’s case said the theft of Helbig’s home was a more serious crime.

In 2018, after a breakup, Helbig fell behind on his property taxes. Buncombe County began foreclosure proceedings. That’s when Helbig’s ex signed her interest over to Roberts-Allen’s company, which purportedly specialized in repairing tax lien issues. The transfer of interest was notarized and signed by “Lisa Roberts” who paid just $3,000. Soon after that, Helbig’s interest was also transferred to Roberts-Allen’s company—also for $3,000. Helbig’s signature was falsified, he testified.

Roberts-Allen’s company then sold the home. Helbig didn’t know, and never received any payment. Helbig thought the county government was taking it to auction off, on account of his $1,379 unpaid tax bill. One day when he stopped by the property, he saw people moving his things out and throwing them out. Tools, furniture, electronics, books…

“I was an English major,” he told the Watchdog reporter. “I had a whole collection of Charles Dickens novels.”

In 2022, his former house sold for $650,000. Richard Helbig said he’d like to get his lost equity back. He doesn’t know if law enforcement will press the company to pay him back.

Swindled Senior in Georgia Will Get Settlement Payments

Deed thieves targeted an 87-year-old grandfather in Georgia. They stole the deed to a home he’d lived in for five decades.

First they recorded a deed in July 2023. A month later, they recorded a second deed, titled as a correction deed. Another month passed. A third deed entered the county records. All three falsified deeds conveyed the title of Robert Elder’s home to another party.

Robert Elder testified that a former stepson was involved in the deed manipulations. Talk about a failure to respect one’s Elder!

Two years after the deed was mishandled, in August 2025, a court issued a judgment. The court found that the perpetrator committed “fraud, larceny and malicious injury.”

The civil court hammered out a settlement so that the ex-stepson would make amends by actually paying money to Robert Elder for his losses: $136K. Elder also asked for an apology.

The buyer along with its lender also must fork over funds to make Elder whole again.

New Georgia Law Confronts Deed Fraud

In the case of Robert Elder’s phony deed transfers, criminal charges did not come up. Only the civil court system handled Elder’s suit for recovery of his property.

Elder’s lawyer expressed annoyance that people don’t face criminal charges for deed fraud.

Georgia’s stance on deed recordings is, however, becoming stricter.

Before 2025, the law in the state of Georgia permitted anyone to make a deed transfer without showing that they actually owned the properties involved. Con artists knew they wouldn’t have to submit to ID checks. Before Covid and the shift to digitization of records, that was the status quo across much of the United States. A new Georgia law requires ID verification when someone comes to a county office to record deed transfers.

Plus, under Georgia’s new law, anyone held liable for deed forgery in a civil court must at least pay to make the real owner whole again. And the perp has to pay the victim’s attorney fees. If the parties settle before going to a trial, the law will not apply. This means Georgia lawyers now have new opportunities to strategize on behalf of clients who lose their homes to deed fraud.

Deed Theft Is Back in the Texas News

Just when we think the law has put the kibosh on Texas deed hustlers, news shows up about a knock-down, drag-out court fight over deed fraud. Granted, the alleged fraud did arise before the new Texas policies were forged.

The estate of a retired Dallas teacher, Arnold Young, is still tied up in court over the accusations of deed manipulation. Arnold Young’s surviving niece, Audrey, is the executor of the Young estate. Audrey was taken to court by My Mutual Freedom, a nonprofit that claims a right to Young’s assets. Now the nonprofit wants to recover up to $1 million in damages.

Audrey calls the demands of the charity “unbelievable and “insane.”

An investigative news series covered this case in the past. Investigative reporters from ABC Channel 8 News in Dallas looked at allegations that the nonprofit’s leaders were manipulating Young’s estate. WFAA-TV reports: “Young had meticulously outlined his wishes in a 2014 will, naming [Audrey] as executor and leaving his properties to family members.”

Reminder: Got a deed? Write your will.

Dallas News Reporters Hold Suspicious Deed Claims to Account

The Dirty Deeds series looked into filings in Dallas County conveying Young’s nine property deeds to non-family members. Eight were conveyed to the nonprofit. Oddly enough, the deeds bore dates from the time Young was still alive—but recorded after Young’s death.

Of course, there’s a legal problem with that. The executor and the probate court would need to supervise any asset transfers from the estate.

What’s worse, the signatures on the deeds didn’t match Young’s, the executor says. And the notary just happened to be the person in charge of My Mutual Freedom!

So far, judges have restored six deeds that were evidently moved by the nonprofit back into Young’s estate.

The head of My Mutual Freedom was indicted four years ago on two felonies related to these deeds. Yet prosecutors dismissed the case two years ago. They stated that their plan was to refile the case. But Audrey, who’s racked up six figures in legal bills, is still waiting for the promised prosecution. Which brings up a question: who is ensuring accountability here? Law enforcement, or the investigative reporters?

Texas has now established a specific crime of deed fraud. The law makes it easier for victims to have their deeds restored, and empowers county recorders to flag suspicious deeds. Texas now requires notifications to deed holders when claims are recorded against their properties.