Riverside County woman arrested for allegedly trying to sell victim's home without their knowledge

The Riverside Police Department announced the arrest of a 46-year-old Lake Elsinore woman for allegedly attempting to sell an elderly woman's home without her knowledge or permission.

According to police, the title to a 76-year-old Riverside resident's approximately $1 million home was fraudulently transferred to an unrelated person and was allegedly being sold without the homeowner's knowledge or permission.

Earlier last week, Jennifer Renee Lewis was arrested and booked for filing a false document in a government office, elder abuse, and grand theft.

Lewis' grandmother died approximately two years ago, and had the same last name as the victim homeowner.

Detectives said that Lewis used her position as administrator of her grandmother's estate, along with a copy of her grandmother's death certificate, to file a fraudulent affidavit and add herself to the victim's home title.

Lewis then placed the victim's home in escrow and allegedly attempted to sell it for $625,000.

She also allegedly tried to get access to the victim's retirement funds and admitted to stealing mail from her home, police said.

The Riverside Police Department reminds property owners to keep their contact information up to date with the Riverside County Recorder's Office so they can be notified of changes to their property title.