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Lawmakers consider tougher deed‑fraud penalties and a task force after victim accounts
Summary
HB130 would create a specific deed‑fraud offense, enhance penalties, add a discovery‑rule statute of limitations, and fund a task force and victim assistance. Victims told lawmakers of sudden, forged‑deed evictions; title insurers, realtors and banks supported the bill with amendments on task‑force membership and notification mechanisms.
Delegate Malcolm P. Ruff introduced HB130 to make deed fraud — forging deeds, coercing owners into conveyances, and recording counterfeit instruments — a distinct criminal offense with enhanced penalties and a discovery‑rule statute of limitations. Ruff and several victims told the committee that scammers have used forged or counterfeited instruments to transfer ownership of family property and to clear title for loans…
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