A civil court judge in Wake County, North Carolina, has restored the deed to a dentist’s home that was stolen in a case that generated national attention.
WRAL reports Dr. Craig Adams needed to go to court to void the fraudulent deed on his property filed by Dawn Mangum, a woman he never met. Adams only learned of the deed theft when his homeowners’ association informed him that Mangum was trying to gain the access codes for the gated community where he lives.
Mangum, who attempted to list Adams’ home for sale at $4 million and later claimed that she thought the house was abandoned, was arrested in September. But North Carolina law does not allow the Register of Deeds to void Mangum’s fraudulent paperwork, which was approved without verification. Thus, Adams needed to go through an expensive civil court process to correct the record and legally regain his deed.
During the virtual court hearing on Wednesday, Mangum asked for a continuance, claiming the situation was a mistake and adding she planned to sign the deed back over to Adams. The judge denied the continuance and ruled the deed filed in Mangum’s name was a fraud. Mangum was also ordered to pay Adams’ attorney fees and had an order filed against her to prohibit “filing any complaints, motions, or other papers related to Plaintiff in the Register of Deeds or in the Courts of Wake County, North Carolina, related in any way to the Property or any other property held by Plaintiff or Dr. Craig Adams, unless such document contains certification signed by an attorney licensed under the laws of the State of North Carolina to practice law in this state or is preapproved as non-frivolous by the court.”
Photo: Dawn Mangum mugshot
