Imagine being asked to pay rent on property you’ve owned for years.
For 84-year-old Sam Cormier, that was only the beginning of his nightmare. He’d discover seven more properties he owned had been purchased, without his knowledge, leaving him with nothing.
Cormier, of Houston, recalled his first conversation with the lender named on the notice that his rent was due.
“I said, ‘No, I didn’t sell my property.’ And the woman on the phone said, ‘Well, your properties are now owned by this company’ and I said ‘What!’” Cormier told Houston TV station KPRC.
His properties, eight in all, had been transferred to a management company—one that Cormier said shared the last name of his former partner. A $1 million loan had been taken out against all of the properties.
“They liquidated all of my properties and sold it at the auction to three or four different people,” said Cormier, who added his eight properties were worth about $1.1 million.
Cormier said he believes an ex-girlfriend, nearly 30 years his junior, is responsible. She has not been publicly identified.
Kevin Williams, a friend of Cormier, said, “She took the deeds and got a lump sum loan against them, because all the properties were paid off.”
The deeds, say Cormier, were fraudulent, forged without his consent. Why was he targeted? Cormier said he believes it was because of his age.
The ongoing saga has taken its toll.
“I lost my money, I’m losing my voice, I’m losing my health. It’s really hard,” he said. “This is traumatic.”
Property theft in Houston is actually pretty simple, said an attorney interviewed by KPRC. Filing a new deed in Harris County requires little more than walking into a county office with a document and a notary stamp. and you can record a new deed.
For no more than $20, you can record a new deed, the attorney said.
Consistent monitoring is crucial, he said.
“The public has access to property records online. Every six months, just check to make sure your property is still in your name,” the attorney advised. “One other thing that I would recommend is drive around your property from time to time. At least once a year or once in six months, go take a drive around the property because there are people who are keeping an eye, there may be squatters or people who see if the property is left vacant, then they can take action.”
Houston Police have concluded an investigation into Cormier’s claims, with charges expected to be presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office by the end of the week, KPRC reports. A civil case against the lender who facilitated the disputed loan is pending.
“This is so EVIL!!!!She gotta pay!!! and on top of that the system in itself is just screwed up laws need to change what is going on here. I hope this gentleman gets justice,” said one commenter on Click2Houston’s YouTube page.
Another suggested Cormier be a bit more prudent about who he dates.
“Stop dating outside of your age group. Dating someone decades younger than you is only going to bring problems. SMH. That women should be in jail for abusing the elderly,” she wrote.
