04/01/2008

News / Notary says he's not involved in apparent land swindle

Tampa, Florida - Imagine finding out your home and land no longer belong to you.

Last week, 10 News showed how it happened to an elderly couple who own property in Polk County, and it could happen to anyone. [Full Story]

We've now tracked down Ramiro Tome. He is the notary whose name and seal appear at the bottom of a quit claim deed that shows Maria Blanco bought an acre of land in Frostproof from Albert and Louise Pascell. However, the Pascells say they never signed the agreement.

While the document that gave Blanco the property is signed by Tome along with his notary stamp and seal, he says it's not him.

When we visited Tome, we pointed out the seal looks like his. He agrees, but says while the signature is close, it is not his writing.

But if Tome is telling the truth, the one big question is how did someone get his official stamp and official seal?

"That's a good question," Tome says. "The thing is, I don't know."

The woman who is now listed as owning the property, Maria Blanco, has an extensive criminal record. But she denies she owns the property, even though her driver's license is on record at the title company where the deal was closed.

But because there is a notarized deed on record at the Polk Property Appraiser's Office -- whether or not it is really from Tome -- property appraiser Marsha Faux says the Pascells no longer legally own the property.

Faux says that right now Maria Blanco is the legal owner. The Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

By: Mike Deeson

Source: http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=77270

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