A Tennessee woman was sentenced to prison today for filing bogus deeds for residential real estate in North Carolina and other states and misusing the owners’ personal identifying information (PII).
Alicia England of Chattanooga was ordered to serve 75 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay more than $300,000 as restitution.
According to court documents and court proceedings, England engaged in a wire fraud scheme from October 2022 to August 2024 by filing fake deeds for residential real estate located in North Carolina and elsewhere. To carry out the scheme, England stole the identity of several victims, alive and deceased, and used their PII to open bank accounts, file fraudulent deeds, and enter into real estate sales for properties she did not actually own. In some cases, she also forged the signatures of notaries, while in others she used fake identifications.
England then sold or attempted to sell the properties to third parties through various platforms, including Facebook Marketplace. Her chicanery involved at least 19 properties worth more than $1.4 million. Court documents show that England’s fraudulent scheme caused victims significant emotional distress and financial hardship.
England pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. She is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.
“Filing fake deeds and stealing identities can wreak havoc on a victim’s life,” said US Attorney Russ Ferguson. “England left a trail of victims forced to deal with the aftermath of her crimes—for that, she will pay the price.”
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