A woman forged the documents and stole a Fort Myers house, officials say

A Florida woman was convicted of stealing a home in 2016 and forging documents to show alleged ownership of the property.

Barbara Jean Harris, 40, called Fort Myers police to a home she told officials she purchased, saying the locks had been changed and there was furniture inside the previously vacant house in June 2016, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Harris showed officers documents showing she owned the property. When officers checked the property appraiser’s website, the records also showed Harris as the home’s owner, according to a release from the State Attorney’s Office.

A person there with Harris picked the lock for her and she had the officers check for squatters. But when they were inside, the home’s alarm went off. Harris told officers she forgot the alarm code to shut it off.

But the true owner of the home showed up and turned off the alarm. She told police she had owned the home since 1999 and never sold it to Harris, according to the release.

Investigators found Harris filed a fraudulent deed to the home and used herself as the notary with a previous married name so it appeared different than the name on the deed. She also used a fake witness, according to the release.

After a two-day trial, a jury found Harris guilty of second-degree grand theft, unlawful filing of a false document against real or personal property, uttering a forged instrument and burglary of a dwelling. Jury deliberations took less than an hour, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Harris faces up to 40 years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced March 5.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 2:57 PM with the headline "A woman forged the documents and stole a Fort Myers house, officials say."