10 people removed from Fort Lauderdale home stolen through title fraud
MIAMI - CBS News Miami was there as Fort Lauderdale police removed ten people from a home.
The Broward Property Appraiser's Office told us they were illegally squatting inside a stolen property. A property we profiled as part of an exclusive investigation into property theft last October.
"It's bug infested," shared Mike Fisten, an investigator for the appraiser's office Crimes Against Property team. "The walls are damaged. The flooring is damaged. The windows are damaged. The whole area is totally damaged."
Fort Lauderdale police and the Broward Property Appraiser reclaimed a home on Seabreeze Boulevard Tuesday. A home they say was stolen through title fraud.
"They know the system," said Fisten. "They know how to stay there until the courts throw them out."
Seven men, two women, and a child left peacefully after law enforcement gave them the boot. They grabbed their belongings. Walked off. Then the locks were swapped, and the house boarded.
"Most of them knew because we interviewed most of them when we arrested Tyrone Jones in the house," added Fisten. "They knew why he was arrested."
Our exclusive investigation last October uncovered how the alleged crime happened. The Broward Property Appraiser says Jones allegedly created a fictitious person to become executor of the estate, a property worth more than a million dollars.
Investigators believe Jones led a crime ring that tried to fraudulently acquire 14 properties in Broward County worth more than $12 million.
"He actually had rented it out to other people that didn't own the property," said Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar.
With Jones behind bars, Property Appraiser Marty Kiar's team went to work to get the others out after a nearby resident reached out to his office a few months ago - because of an unusual incident.
"My wife screaming, someone's in our room, and my dog barking and chasing him out," shared the neighbor.
The man didn't want to share his identity - but did provide security camera footage from his home. On February 27th, 2022, a man can be seen walking back and forth outside the man's home around three in the morning.
"Came around the side and tried six or eight doors, side of the house," said the man. "This person in our bedroom, he was at the foot of our bed. He had stepped into the room."
CBS News Miami's Joe Gorchow asked the man: "How many sleepless nights have you had since that moment of the break-in?
"I've had a number," he explained.
Weeks passed before Fort Lauderdale police arrested Kevin Bosley, charging him with burglary. But he was released on an ankle monitor, which we observed him wearing Tuesday.
"I was irritated that he's still in the neighborhood," exclaimed the man. "He's free to wander the neighborhood."
A year passed before he realized Bosley lived in a stolen home.
"Through the story that you released," said the man of our October news report he saw for the first time a few months ago. "So, I contacted Marty's office."
Kiar's team took the case to remove the illegal squatters last March.
"This really shows that when people steal somebody's property, not only is there a victim for the person who actually owns the property, but there are other people in the community that can also be victimized."
"We only started about a year ago, we've had about 185 cases, and every case is a little bit different. And in every case, what we do evolves a little bit. Our underlying goal at the end of the day is just to help protect the community and to hold people accountable."
Fort Lauderdale police tell us it's Bosley's responsibility to report to his parole officer about the situation, or he could violate his parole terms and be arrested.
The relieved victim tells us he's grateful they've been kicked out.
