OKLAHOMA CITY – A trio of Oklahoma City residents have confessed to a cold-blooded scheme to illegally seize ownership of over a dozen homes, leaving a trail of financial ruin and emotional distress in their wake. LAURA R. JOHNSON, 45, THOMAS JOHNSON, SR., 52, and CHERYL M. ASHLEY, 70, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud earlier this week, according to U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.
The operation, which ran from 2014 to 2019, preyed on properties with delinquent taxes. The defendants would swoop in, pay off the back taxes to prevent auction, and then flood the Oklahoma County records office with fraudulent warranty deeds, transferring ownership to shell companies and phantom individuals. This wasn’t just paperwork; it was a calculated assault on people’s most valuable possession. The fraud extended to forged notary signatures, fake mortgages, and even fabricated court documents.
Victims weren’t just left with legal headaches – they were forced out of their homes with bogus eviction notices. When homeowners dared to fight back in court, the Johnsons and Ashley responded with more deception, filing pleadings under the names of nonexistent lawyers and submitting affidavits sworn by people who didn’t even exist. The sheer audacity of the scheme is staggering.
The defendants’ greed knew no bounds. They targeted a woman who had *already died* in 2012, attempting to drain her bank account by forging a power of attorney. When that failed, they resorted to writing forged checks and initiating unauthorized electronic transfers. They even submitted a false will to the Oklahoma County District Court, successfully manipulating the system to appoint LAURA JOHNSON as the estate’s personal representative, allowing her to siphon off $63,950 from the woman’s bank accounts and $45,000 from her oil and gas interests.
Each defendant entered a guilty plea to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud on November 17, 2020. Sentencing is scheduled for approximately 90 days from now. THOMAS JOHNSON SR. and CHERYL M. ASHLEY face a maximum of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, along with three years of supervised release. LAURA JOHNSON faces a far stiffer penalty – up to thirty years behind bars, a $1,000,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.
The investigation was a joint effort by the U.S. Secret Service and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kerry A. Kelly and Jessica L. Perry are handling the prosecution. While justice is coming for these fraudsters, the damage they inflicted on their victims will likely linger for years to come. This case serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of property ownership and the lengths to which criminals will go to exploit it.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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