Connect with us

Florida

South Florida attorney accused of helping woman steal home

Published

on

South Florida attorney accused of helping woman steal home


COOPER CITY, Fla. – A South Florida lawyer is facing three felony charges after authorities accused her of using her position to help a Cooper City woman steal her son’s stake in a home.

Authorities arrested Ashley Ruth Morin, 28, of Cooper City, on Monday, according to Broward County jail records.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the Broward Sheriff’s Office investigation into Morin began after the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office received a complaint that Suzanne Corcoran, who’s also been charged in the case, filed a forged quit claim deed in her son’s name “which removed his interest in the property,” which they had owned jointly.

BSO Detective Robert Feick, working as part of a detachment with the BCPA, wrote in the affidavit that Morin once worked for Corcoran’s son as an attorney.

Advertisement

Feick wrote that after Corcoran, 64, returned from vacation on May 8, 2023, Morin drove her around to various post offices in order to find someone to notarize a pre-stamped deed bearing the victim’s signature.

Corcoran was eventually successful at a UPS Store, authorities said. Feick wrote that she and Morin drove to a Davie library to make copies of the deed. Corcoran, he wrote, then asked a third party, whose name was redacted from the affidavit, to pick her up and take her to the Broward County Governmental Center to record the deed.

The affidavit states that Corcoran had brought a copy of the deed and county employees informed her that they needed the original, which Morin had.

Morin “brought the original deed” and Corcoran recorded it, Feick wrote.

“(Redacted) stated that Morin informed him that she had printed the deed at (redacted) before leaving her job there,” Feick wrote. “Additionally, Morin told (redacted) that she stole (the victim’s) signature stamp from his office before leaving the job. Additionally, Morin told (redacted) that (the victim) had two stamps, ensuring that he wouldn’t notice one of the stamps missing.”

Advertisement

Corcoran, during a consultation with another lawyer, tried to falsely implicate that third party in the case to conceal Morin’s involvement, according to the affidavit.

Feick wrote that a witness told investigators that Morin advised Corcoran to “discard the stamp,” which she did.

Suzanne Corcoran (BSO)

“Suzanne told her that one of the attorneys she consulted with told Suzanne that what she did was a crime and had advised her to reverse it back to how (the deed) was originally…which Suzanne eventually did,” he wrote.

Feick wrote that there were also “screenshots of messages apparently received by Suzanne from Ashley Morin wherein Morin appears to be giving Suzanne advice on the situation.”

The detective wrote that he spoke over the phone with Morin on Feb. 7. He said she claimed she “didn’t know much of anything” regarding what happened and she denied taking the stamp or seeing it.

Advertisement

“When asked if she drove Suzanne Corcoran around to get the deed notarized, she stated that she no longer wanted to answer any questions and would not come in for an interview,” Feick wrote.

Both Morin and Corcoran are facing charges of first-degree grand theft, filing false documents against property and criminal use of personal identification information. Corcoran has pleaded not guilty in the case.

According to the Florida Bar website, Morin has since been employed as a Boca Raton-based associate for Shendell & Pollock, P.A., “a full-service litigation and business law firm.”

Her biography was still listed on the firm’s website as of late Tuesday morning.

Local 10 News contacted Shendell & Pollock seeking comment Tuesday morning and had not heard back as of Tuesday afternoon. Local 10 News also contacted the Florida Bar inquiring whether Morin was under investigation by that entity.

Advertisement

Morin did not have an attorney of her own listed in Broward court records. Corcoran’s attorney, Scott Saul, spoke to Local 10 News on Tuesday afternoon, noting that his client is presumed innocent.

“There are significant mitigating circumstances here and there’s a sad family feud going on,” Saul said.

Saul said he couldn’t elaborate on those circumstances.

Morin was being held in the BSO Main Jail on a $15,000 bond as of Tuesday afternoon, while Corcoran had already bonded out of jail following her arrest Thursday.

The BCPA’s office has a free program homeowners can use to prevent title fraud.

Advertisement

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Florida

Trulieve adds $5M to recreational marijuana campaign in Florida

Published

on

Trulieve adds M to recreational marijuana campaign in Florida


Stream FOX 35 News

The medical cannabis company Trulieve has contributed another $5 million to a campaign to allow recreational marijuana in Florida, according to a newly filed finance report. 

The company made the contribution on July 15 to the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is leading efforts to pass a recreational marijuana initiative on the November ballot. 

Advertisement

MORE HEADLINES: 

According to a state Division of Elections database, Trulieve had contributed about $60.39 million to the committee as of July 19. 

The committee raised a total of $66.475 million in cash and nearly $129,000 in in-kind contributions, and it spent $53.963 million. 

Advertisement

The initiative, which will appear on the ballot as Amendment 3, says, in part, that it would allow “adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for nonmedical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.” 

Voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment that allowed medical marijuana.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Florida

A deadly disease is attacking Florida mangroves. UCF researchers think they have a solution

Published

on

A deadly disease is attacking Florida mangroves. UCF researchers think they have a solution


ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida’s mangroves act as a shield for our coasts against potential storm damage, while also serving as a home for wildlife like various types of fish and other sea creatures.

Researchers at UCF are finding ways to protect this natural barrier from a deadly disease that’s attacking them.

Melissa Deinys, an undergraduate student and researcher at the University of Central Florida, along with Jorge Pereira, a graduate research assistant are the main people behind this project.

The disease that is harming these trees is not named but scientists have been calling it “Mangrove CNP.” It’s caused by fungi pathogens that become deadly when activated.

Advertisement

The researchers are working on a “nutritional cocktail” made up of nanoparticles that would be used to strengthen the tree as well as fight off the pathogens that are causing harm.

It is estimated that there are over 600,000 acres of mangrove forests that help protect Florida’s southern coastal zone and other areas around the state, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

There are three main types of mangroves found in Florida with the most well-known being the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle).

Deinys was in Miami in 2019 when she first identified that Mangrove CNP was causing mangrove trees to start dying.

The Marine Research Council later tested her theory and verified her findings, according to UCF.

Advertisement

Deinys and other groups started testing more mangroves and found that around 80% of the mangroves they sampled had tested positive for one or more of the fungi pathogens that were affecting these trees.

Most of these Fungi are dormant but get activated when the trees are exposed to certain environmental factors such as temperature changes, various insects, and other types of diseases that attack other trees and plants.

The research for this project is taking place over at the Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) center at UCF through UCF Professor Swadeshmukul Santra.

As of right now, there is no cure for Mangrove CNP, but researchers say the special nutritional cocktail is one of the best ways to help combat the disease killing off the trees.

You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:

Advertisement

Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Florida

Florida residents can make unlimited visits to Universal Orlando with new ticket deal

Published

on

Florida residents can make unlimited visits to Universal Orlando with new ticket deal


ORLANDO, Fla. – A new Universal Orlando ticket deal for Florida residents is giving unlimited visits to both theme parks through the end of the year.

Universal Orlando Resort announced the “Florida Unlimited Days Ticket” that will let guests visit Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios through Dec. 18.

You’ll be able to use the ticket to “enjoy the fan-favorite seasonal events and offerings that are included in park admission, like Universal’s destination-wide Holidays celebration, which kicks off on November 22 and features Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s, the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular and more.”

This offer excludes separately ticketed events, like Halloween Horror Nights.

Advertisement

You can buy it for $199, plus tax.

Click here to check it out.


Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily:

Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending