Prison, Restitution Ordered for Woman Who Forged Real Estate Documents
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today a woman who illegally recorded false real estate documents involving two different San Diego County properties was sentenced Wednesday to two years in state prison and ordered to pay $110,000 in restitution. A jury convicted 58-year-old Farrah Nazemi last month of three felony counts of recording false documents and one felony count of forgery. Superior Court Judge Robert Amador handed down the sentence during a hearing downtown. The District Attorney’s Economic Crimes and Consumer Protection Division’s investigation led to the felony charges.
“The investigation and prosecution of real estate fraud is important and complex, and this case is a stark reminder of the impact of real estate fraud,” said DA Stephan. “The defendant’s deliberate actions to forge legal documents and seize homes that were not hers caused real harm to rightful property owners. I’m proud of the work by our Real Estate Fraud Unit to uncover the truth and hold her accountable, sending a clear message that this kind of deception won’t be tolerated in San Diego County.”
Farrah Pirahanchi Nazemi recorded two false documents in November 2019 related to a property in Bonita. She recorded the documents in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the foreclosure of and her eviction from a house she formerly owned in Bonita. The defendant lost her unlawful detainer case and left the Bonita property only after she was locked out by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department in January of 2020.
After leaving the Bonita property, Ms. Nazemi moved into a house in Vista where her brother was living at the time. Her brother had previously entered into a contract to purchase the Vista property from the owner in exchange for an apartment in Tehran, Iran and cash to make up the difference in value. The sale/exchange fell through and in the settlement of the subsequent lawsuit, Nazemi’s brother agreed to vacate the Vista property. Her brother moved out, but Nazemi refused to leave. She forged the owner’s signature on a recorded a Grant Deed transferring the Vista property from the owner to herself.
Nazemi was caught after the owners of the properties involved reported the crimes to the Real Estate Fraud Unit of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. The case was investigated by District Attorney Investigator Michael Brown who interviewed numerous witnesses and collected hundreds of documents. The investigation culminated with the search of the Vista property where Ms. Nazemi was living. At the residence, Investigators found the original copies of the false recorded documents, fraudulent county recorder’s stickers, other forged documents, and a stolen notary stamp. Deputy District Attorney John Dunn used this evidence to build a successful prosecution and present a compelling case to the jury, which found the defendant guilty on all four felony counts.
If you suspect you are a victim of real estate fraud, or have knowledge of such activity, please report the information to the District Attorney’s Office on its public website here.
Owner Alert is a free real estate fraud notification service from the County Assessor/Recorder that sends an immediate email notification to subscribed property owners anytime a document is recorded in their office that transfers title to your property.
The DA’s Economic Crimes and Consumer Protection Division is responsible for prosecuting a wide variety of wrongdoings, including elder financial abuse, consumer protection, price gouging, false advertising, cybercrimes, complex identity theft, investment scams, embezzlements, real estate matters, counterfeit goods, organized retail crime, and environmental crimes. It’s one of the few divisions in the District Attorney’s Office that initiates investigations.
The District Attorney has a dedicated Real Estate Fraud Unit that’s part of the division, focused on investigating cases such as forged loan or title documents, fraudulent transfers or foreclosures, scam trust deeds, home‑equity and rescue scams.
