Crooks allegedly dumped Florida senior with dementia at a 'dilapidated rooming house’ after stealing his home and cars, police say

The victim is Thomas Hegarty, 71, while the suspects include two real estate investors, Brandon Lee Miguel and Jordy Luis Perez, both 25; notary public Derek Enrique, 43; and realtor Monica Elizabeth Castelli, 56. They face a combined 15 criminal charges related to the alleged fraud, kidnapping and exploitation of an elderly person.

The accused is alleged to have stolen not only Hegarty’s home, but cleared the property of all of his possessions, including three cars. Castelli allegedly left him “abandoned at a dilapidated rooming house in Miami Gardens” before eventually returning to take him to a local hospital.

The accused also reportedly claimed that they bought the home from Hegarty for $191,000, but authorities say the property was worth much more and the victim never received any money from a transaction.

None of the charges have been proven in court.

“He lost everything. I mean heirlooms, possessions,” Peggy Hegarty, the victim’s sister-in-law, told NBC 6. She flagged what was happening to authorities. “He was in shock and depressed after this all happened. He was not eating.”

It was the hospital that contacted Peggy Hegarty, according to Local 10 News.

The right response

When Peggy Hegarty learned of the suspicious property transfer of her brother-in-law’s house, she flagged it to police and kicked off the investigation that led to what authorities dubbed “Operation Dirty Deed.”

And though four suspects have been arrested, Hegarty’s family still has to fight to retrieve ownership of the house, which is already being rented out.

Mila K. Schwartzreich, the general counsel and director of administration with the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office, also told Moneywise that “The investigation remains ongoing and it’s our belief that there are additional victims.”

Peggy Hegarty, meanwhile, did exactly the right thing when someone suspects a loved one has fallen victim to fraud by immediately contacting authorities.

Across the country, the number of real estate fraud victims in the U.S. continues to rise. The FBI reported 12,368 known real estate fraud cases last year, totalling more than $275 million in losses — which is up from the $173.5 million in losses the year prior.

And the Bureau’s Boston division warned last year of an increase in deed fraud cases, via scammers either targeting the elderly to trick them into transferring ownership of their property, or impersonating property owners and using forged documents to swipe homes and land.

It’s a type of fraud that can go undetected by homeowners until it’s too late, with some forced to pay thousands just to reclaim possession of their own property.

First American Title financial services says that seniors can prove particularly vulnerable to such fraud scams because of “wealth concentration, cognitive decline, and high trust levels.”

California-based Evans Law Firm points to specific warning signs that could signal a deed fraud or scam, including “major changes” to your utility bills, receiving default notices or loan documents without reason, a sudden pause in property taxes or being contacted by unknown mortgage lenders.