Published on August 31, 2026
Allegheny County values protecting homeowners from fraud. Earlier this summer, a local title attorney informed the Allegheny County Solicitor of suspected deed fraud occurring at dozens of residential properties in the Pittsburgh area. Working with the county’s Division of Real Estate, the Solicitor’s Office was able to confirm the fraudulent deeds and immediately filed a Petition for Declaratory Judgment and for Injunctive Relief to stay the deeds from liens or other transactions.
After a hearing before the Honorable Alan Hertzberg on June 24, the Solicitor’s Office was able to obtain Orders voiding the fraudulent deed transfers and reverting all properties back to the initial owners. It was critical that the county interjected on behalf of the rightful homeowners and returned their deeds without the owners being required to spend their time or money to correct the problem. Later in July, the two men who allegedly orchestrated the deed fraud were arrested.
County Executive Innamorato said: “I want to thank the Division of Real Estate and the Solicitor’s Office for their hard work on this case and for finding a quick resolution that reunited rightful homeowners with their deeds. While I am relieved that the county was able to intervene quickly on behalf of property owners in this case, it is also important for the public to know about free tools they can utilize to protect their properties from deed fraud.”
Allegheny County encourages property owners to enroll in Property Fraud Alert. This free service from the Division of Real Estate allows owners to receive notifications any time a document is recorded using their name as grantor or grantee. Owners should also monitor their property information via the Allegheny County Real Estate Portal. Find more information about property fraud and sign up for fraud alerts on the county's website.
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