HOUSTON – A case awarding more than $1,000,000 in benefits and penalties, Harris County Prosecutor On behalf of victims of a crime known as “home title theft.”

Wondering what home deed theft is? This is a white collar crime that targets the title to your home.

Through a surprisingly easy process, criminals can create false paperwork that removes your name from your home title and assigns it to another name.

READ MORE: Here’s how Harris County will reduce the rising incidence of title fraud and scams

This is the same crime committed by KPRC 2 A worldwide surrogacy scandal was revealed while being investigated this had its roots in Houston.

Through court documents, KPRC 2 learned that one of the suspects in this case was named under fraudulently altered titles, effectively stealing homes from unsuspecting victims, according to records.

On Monday, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee He filed a lawsuit against two Houston bigwigs, accusing them of defrauding victims out of their homes.

That includes former HISD teacher Wanda Jackson, 70.

“This was 47 years of hard work that went up in smoke,” Jackson said. “Instead of helping me, he tricked me into signing over my entire house to him. “Not only did I lose my home, but I also lost personal memories and valuables that money cannot replace, such as my mother’s oil painting and other items.”

He lost his home in Houston and his mother’s home in East Texas due to an operation allegedly conducted by Malcolm Pryor and James Mayer, according to court filings.

“They were using fake documents to steal people’s homes. “They were taking away people’s homes,” Menefee said. “They were refusing to release the escrow funds. And they were running a number of other scams. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office took action. We filed a lawsuit against that company. “This case is currently ongoing, but the owner of the company has filed for bankruptcy.”