BSO: Man allegedly stole home of deceased elderly person, frauded dozens
COOPER CITY — A man was arrested and charged in a massive fraud case out of Broward County, where he allegedly stole the home of an deceased person and the identities of dozens of victims, including banking and personal information.
Braden Antonio Emdin was arrested in August on charges of grand theft of more than $100,000, unlawful filing of false property documents, obtaining property over $50,000 by fraud and fraud possession of identification of another person without consent.
According to a Wednesday press release from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Emdin was arrested during an undercover operation at a local title company in Cooper City, where he was alleged to have falsified a deed, notary stamp, and last will and testament.
The documents were first detected by the Broward County Property Appraiser's Office (BCPA) on May 30, when Emdin used them to sign up for the BCPA's Owner Alert Program, which protects property owners from fraud by notifying registered property owners of a deed received by the BCPA, changing the ownership of their property. According to BSO, Emdin represented himself as the homeowner and attempted to register with the program. His actions prompted BCPA's Crimes Against Property Unit to investigate him.
The investigation revealed that Emdin allegedly purported to be the grandson of a 96-year-old Tamarac resident who had died and was the sole owner of a home in the city. Additionally, Emdin allegedly forged the property's deed and will, naming himself as heir.
After Emdin was taken into custody, documents containing banking and personal information of various Broward residents were seized. BCPA and BSO will be sending letters to the potential victims of the fraud.
The investigation is ongoing, according to BSO.