Owner of real-estate firm detained at Carrasco airport over land fraud in Punta Negra
Police arrested the owner of a Maldonado real-estate firm and his wife at Carrasco Airport over a scam involving land and forged documentation.
Real-estate fraud in Punta Negra: two detained at Carrasco airport
Police detained on Thursday the owner of a well-known real-estate firm in Maldonado and his wife at Carrasco International Airport, according to montevideo.com.uy. Both are sought for their alleged participation in an organisation that appropriated land in Punta Negra using forged documentation, which it subsequently sold.
The businessman was among four individuals under investigation in a case being pursued by the Economic and Complex Crimes Prosecutor's Office, headed by prosecutor Sandra Fleitas. According to the investigation, the real-estate firm was selling properties whose ownership was obtained through forged powers of attorney.
Signature of deceased notary and unmonitored land registers
The scheme centred on a forged power of attorney for the purchase and sale of land in Punta Negra. Those involved allegedly forged the signature and used the seal of a notary who had already died, and who had stopped issuing such documents in the 1980s.
According to the investigation, the mechanism involved identifying land parcels belonging to deceased Argentine owners or those who visited the country infrequently, so that the properties lacked permanent supervision.
Using the falsified powers of attorney, the accused simulated property transactions to appear as formal title holders of the parcels and subsequently resold them to good-faith buyers. In several cases, cheques presented as payment were never cashed nor credited to the accounts of the alleged sellers.
Searches and seized material
During searches of the suspects' homes, documents, electronic devices and a seal bearing the name of the notary whose signature was forged were seized. Copies of documents that appeared to have notarial validity were also found.
Two defendants and two convicted so far
The case has so far resulted in two defendants and two convictions. An employee of the real-estate firm—responsible for locating the land and presenting himself as the owner to evict occupants through threats—was charged with criminal association, two counts of fraud and two counts of using forged public documents.
A woman reached an agreement with the Prosecutor's Office and was convicted by the Organised Crime Justice court to 18 months' imprisonment on probation for criminal association and fraud.
According to La Diaria, both the businessman and his wife—like the woman already convicted—appeared on a National Party list in the June 2024 internal elections.
Source: Google News UY — Montevideo