‘We need to stop this’: Homeowner says person forged papers, stole her share of home

CHARLOTTE — Tammy Legette is petitioning for legislative reform after a relative fraudulently altered a property deed, making it difficult to clear the title.

Legette told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke her grandfather passed away in September 2024. She says he owned a house in west Charlotte.

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“When a death happens, and yes, there’s a property left, people think it’s a blessing and, yes, it is. But it can also be something of a curse when you’re dealing with multiple heirs,” she said.

She says, in her case, a relative doctored the deed so that person would get the entire house, not have to share. Officers cited the relative for acting as an “aider and abettor of the illegal notarization of a ... deed” -- a misdemeanor. She pleaded guilty earlier this year.

But Legette says it’s been hard to clean up the title and related paperwork despite this plea. She works in real estate.

“The victims are then responsible for going and hiring an attorney that’s going to cost them,” she said, “To have this deed quieted so that it can go back to normal.”

A “quiet” title means to clear up who rightfully owns certain property.

“A lot of people can’t afford to hire an attorney,” she said. “We need to stop this. Families should not be responsible. Even though my family is willing to pay the money to hire an attorney … no, we should not be responsible, and neither should any other family that is considered a victim be responsible.”

So, she launched a petition calling for legislative reform that supports two bills in the General Assembly.

Both would authorize the Register of Deeds to require a government ID to record a deed, provide extra legal grounds to quiet title after fraud, and make it easier to settle who owns that property moving forward. Both bills are in committee.

“I’m no longer alone. This fight is real. This fight is very real,” she said.

Stoogenke has covered cases like this before. They can be terrifying.

Ways to prevent it

You can look into title lock companies, but Action 9 hears mixed reviews about them. The Better Business Bureau gives two of the big names in the business A+ ratings. But, as the FTC says, “Home title lock insurance? Not a lock at all.” It doesn’t prevent title fraud. It only monitors your deed to let you know after the fact if someone messed with it. Chase Bank says your “money ... might be put to better use elsewhere.”

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