Employees of the “Economic Police” sector of the SDVR prevented an attempt to illegally acquire real estate in the capital. At the center of the criminal scheme was a 21-year-old pregnant woman who was to serve as a “formal perpetrator” and a cover against severe legal penalties.
The scheme: Will from the beyond
The investigation began after a report of a suspicious intention to declare a will was filed. The object of the scammers’ appetites was a house with a yard in Sofia, whose owner died more than a decade ago.
During the investigation, the police found a series of forgeries. The presented certificate of heirs turned out to be false, and the real heirs of the deceased did not even suspect the claims to the property. Appointed graphological examinations are categorical: both the text and the signature on the will are forged and do not belong to the deceased owner.
Arrest at the notary’s office
The culmination of the operation occurs at the moment when the 21-year-old woman appears before a notary to announce the will and start the procedure for issuing a notarial deed. She was detained at the scene.
During the action, her companions were also captured – the 29-year-old man with whom she lives on a family basis, and his father. Both men are well known to law enforcement, with the father having a criminal record specifically for property fraud.
Pregnancy as “insurance”
According to the investigators, the choice of the pregnant woman as an impersonator was not random. The two men deliberately included her in the scheme in order to make it difficult for the justice authorities and to avoid the imposition of a permanent measure of “detention in custody” because of her condition.
During the subsequent search of the men’s car, the investigators found startling evidence – copies of notarial acts of other deceased persons and copies of their death certificates. This gives reason to suspect that the group was preparing other similar strikes.
Legal consequences
The Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office has already charged the 21-year-old woman under Art. 316, in connection with Art. 309 of the Criminal Code (for using a false private document). It is currently under “signature” remand.
The work to document the criminal activity of the father and son continues. It remains to be seen how many other property scams the two men are involved in and whether there are other “plugs” in their schemes.
“He could hardly be recognized”: Footage from the arrest of Vasil Mihailov was released
Source: Actualno
