My father sold my mountain cabin to pay off his gambling debts—until the county clerk noticed two signatures.
Patricia tells her that a deed of transfer was filed the day before to sell the cabin for $890,000. However, the signature on the new deed doesn’t match the one on the original document from 2019. It’s not a minor discrepancy—it appears to be a clear forgery. When she asks who filed the papers, Patricia says it was her father, Richardson Chin, who claimed to have power of attorney. The narrator is baffled, as she never gave him power of attorney.
The land registry freezes the transaction and advises her to immediately hire a lawyer. She calls her father. He answers cordially and says he’s in Bella Vista—a casino resort he’s long disguised as a “conference venue.” He tells her cheerfully that the sale of the cabin will be finalized soon and that the buyers are enthusiastic.
She claims she never authorized the sale and that the deed was flagged as fraudulent. Initially, he brushes it off as a clerical error. But when she questions him about his gambling debt, he eventually admits he owes approximately $340,000. He argues that selling the cabin would clear his debt and allow him to “start over,” and accuses her of being selfish with a property she “barely uses.” She refuses and says she will call the police.
The next day she visits the town hall and sees the documents lying next to each other.
Her real signature is fluid and confident; the forged one is clumsy and obviously fake. Patricia tells her bluntly that this isn’t a family feud—it’s a crime. Her father tried to steal nearly $900,000 from her.
She hires Michael Torres, a lawyer specializing in real estate fraud. They obtain a restraining order preventing her father from reaching her or the vacation home. The prosecutor files charges of forgery and fraud. The potential sentence is up to twelve years.
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