Newly released security footage shows how a scammer managed to change the deed of a $4.5million North Carolina property into her own name.
Raleigh dentist Dr. Craig Adams and his wife were still living in their 8,300-square-foot home, paying taxes and the mortgage when Dawn Mangum allegedly changed the deed of property to her name.
Mangum reportedly filed a warranty deed on August 11 with the Wake County Register of Deeds Office and managed to acquire the deed transfer.
Surveillance footage from the office shows the suspect in an all-blue outfit walking in with paperwork in her hand and speaking to a lady at the counter.
According to ABC7, Mangum asked for a title search on the property as well as a marketable title certificate on the five bedroom and seven bathroom home.
After the fling, the Register of Deeds approved the transfer to an entity called Dawn Mangum Trust.
Adams discovered the change only after he put his home on the property market.
‘I found out that she had filed a false warranty claim deed against this house and basically tried to steal this home,’ he told ABC11.
Surveillance footage from the office shows Dawn Mangum in an all-blue outfit walking in with paperwork in her hand and speaking to a lady at the counter
Pictured: The front of Adams’ home, which sits in a gated community just north of Raleigh
The property management company for his homeowner’s association asked him if he’d successfully sold his home, because Mangum had contacted the company asking for access to the private gated community.
Adams, who has his own dental practice, visited to the county Register of Deeds to get answers.
‘There’s no effort to authenticate the validity of the change of deed. Nobody verifies the notary. Nobody verifies who owns the house that’s trying to be transferred to a different owner,’ he said.
When Adams proved he owned the home and that Mangum had no stake or claim to it, he was told that the deed would remain in Mangum’s hands.
‘They say there’s absolutely nothing they can do to reverse this once it’s filed. Their only solution is that I have to go hire a private attorney, and the first quote I got was about $8,000 to file a civil suit against this woman,’ he said.
The County Attorney and the Register of Deeds told Adams via email that they are bound by North Carolina law and cannot remove a document once it has been recorded.
‘I’m left the victim, and there’s no recourse. So, it’s just a tough spot to be in,’ he said.
Mangum was arrested on a felony charge of attempting to obtain property by false pretense on September 15.
Mangum asked for a title search on the property as well as a marketable title certificate on the five bedroom and seven bathroom home.
Raleigh dentist, Dr. Craig Adams and his wife were still living in their 8,300-square-foot home, paying taxes and the mortgage when the deed was transferred
Mangum was arrested on a felony charge of attempting to obtain property by false pretense on September 15
She has also has been accused of going to the Register of Deeds and without any proof, claimed ownership of the Alpine Creek Drive home.
After she made bail in October, Mangum went back to the Register of Deeds office and requested more paperwork on Adams’ home in November – which were reportedly not provided to her.
The suspect claims she thought the home was foreclosed when she took over the deed.
When reached by ABC 11, Mangum said she believed she was allowed to claim ownership of an abandoned property as it was briefly listed incorrectly as being foreclosed.
‘My thing is not to take anyone’s home but to find abandoned property and restore it,’ she told the outlet.
Since her arrest, which landed her in jail with $150,000 bond, she told ABC 11 she’d like to restore Adams’ ownership and that she stopped all the paperwork once she realized the home wasn’t actually in foreclosure.
After she made bail in October, Mangum went back to the Register of Deeds office and requested more paperwork on Adams’ home in November – which were reportedly not provided to her
But instead Adams believes Mangum was planning on squatting in his home – which he still lives in with his wife – and planned to use the deed as a way to slow down the eviction.
According to Adams, the woman did not have to present any proof to the Deeds Office of actually owning the home and ‘no inquiry about who owns the property’ was made.
‘If there had been just this one simple check, my name would have popped up,’ he insisted to the outlet. ‘There is no accountability measures… none.’
In fact, Adams is certain he wouldn’t have known about the alleged fraudulent deed if the HOA’s property management company hadn’t called his neighbor.
Mangum had called the company to gain gate access to the community, according to ABC 11.
Adams believes Mangum was planning on squatting in his home – which he still lives in with his wife – and planned to use the deed as a way to slow down the eviction
Pictured: A copy of the document Dawn Mangum filed with the Wake County Register of Deeds Office
The grantee, the person or entity receiving the deed, was listed as Dawn Mangum Trust
Craig Adams, here listed with his middle initial, was listed as a debtor to the property
‘I probably would never know,’ he told WRAL. ‘That’s pretty scary for North Carolina citizens because anyone can go downtown and make a false claim for someone else’s property.’
Even after explaining to the Register of Deeds that Mangum fraudulently filed the paperwork, he was told he’d have to prove it in court to get the property record fixed.
A county spokesperson told WRAL that the Register of Deeds is ‘not required to verify the legal validity of a deed when it is presented for registration, nor are they required to verify the credentials or legal standing of the notary or drafters of the document.’
‘With more than 500 documents processed through the Wake County Register of Deeds office daily, it would be impossible to verify the legitimacy of each document or the credentials of each notary, nor does the Register of Deeds office have access to a database of commissioned North Carolina notaries to check against,’ they said.
