Lawsuit claims Houston couple used fraudulent documents to falsely claim 35 properties

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- New developments in a stolen land case have emerged after a Harris County lawsuit was filed against a Houston couple.

ABC13 has been following the case for months after a man discovered his property was stolen right under him.

The video above is from the original report: Houston artist loses property in a real estate forgery scheme now being invested by county attorney

A release sent out Tuesday states that Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee is suing the couple for more than $1 million in damages.

The county's lawsuit outlines the dozens of times the couple allegedly faked documents to steal several properties. It accuses Alba and Jarin Martinez of forging legal documents to falsely claim ownership of at least 35 properties across the county.

SEE PREVIOUS REPORT: Houston artist gets his property back after alleged deed theft was featured on Action 13

A Houston artist who had his property stolen from under him got it back Friday, less than three weeks after Action 13 featured the alleged warranty deed theft on our air.

"My office is taking decisive legal action not only to shut down this operation and restore properties to their rightful owners, but to ensure these scammers face the full consequences of their actions. We will not tolerate predatory schemes that steal people's property and hard-earned (money)," Menefee said in a statement.

The 28-page lawsuit shows what the county calls a widespread real estate fraud scheme that victimized legitimate homeowners and tricked unsuspecting buyers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In February, Mike Scranton told ABC13 that the land he owned in Independence Heights for 15 years had been stolen with forged documents. Alba Martinez apparently watched our report, saying this was all a mistake. She signed papers returning the property and paid Scranton's legal fees.

The lawyer who represented Scranton in that case sent ABC13 a statement on Tuesday, which read, in part:

"While I was pleased that we were able to get Mr. Scranton's property returned to him, I am extremely happy that Mr. Menefee and his office have filed this lawsuit, and I wish them and all of the victims of the Martinezes' fraudulent schemes the very best in the pursuit of those claims."

The lawsuit asks a court to order the couple to return the properties to their rightful owners, pay civil penalties of up to $250,000 per violation in cases involving elderly victims, and pay restitution to all those affected.

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