PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Rosalee McCurdy bought a plot of land on Southeast Blackwell Drive in Port St. Lucie in 2001. She hoped to one day build a home where she could retire after a career in medicine.
When she bought the property it was wooded.
WATCH BELOW: Port St. Lucie woman "totally shocked" to learn land stolen
She didn't know the land was cleared with a foundation poured until mid-December.
"There were a couple of beautiful oak trees on the property that I wanted to preserve," she told WPTV reporter Dave Bohman at the site. "They're no longer here."
When she tried to pay her tax bill in December, she learned the title to the property was no longer in her name.
"They said, 'Your lot was sold,'" McCurdy said. "I was shocked. I was totally shocked."
McCurdy said she had nothing to do with the sale and received no money.
WPTV checked the property records in St. Lucie County.
WATCH BELOW: Rosalee McCurdy tells WPTV she was shocked that her land was stolen
The property deed showed her land was sold in June by a "Rosalie Lawrence" formerly known as "Rosalie McCurdy."
The record showed the deal was executed and notarized in Michigan. McCurdy, who has an apartment in Port St. Lucie, told WPTV she's never set foot in Michigan.
Her medical records show she was at the Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital on the day her land was sold in Michigan.
"I just couldn't fathom it," McCurdy said. "It was unbelievable that this could happen so easily."
A warranty deed on file with the Martin County Clerk of Courts showed the Mani Capital Group bought the title to the property on June 6, 2024, for $109,000, then on the same day, sold it to D.R. Horton, Inc., the nation's largest homebuilding company for $119,000.
Neither company returned WPTV's calls or emails for the story.
In a December email to Rosalee McCurdy, D.R. Horton's attorney wrote the company, "is actively investigating this matter and your concerns regarding ownership of the property," adding, "while this matter is being investigated, D.R. Horton has stopped work on the property."
Port St. Lucie detective Janet Palmer has been investigating the case for two months.
Bohman asked her if a crime had been committed.
"Yes, there has been," she replied
While WPTV was putting this story together, Port St. Lucie police issued an arrest warrant for Rosalie Lawrence in Lathrop Township, Michigan.
According to the criminal affidavit, Lawrence's "last name was previously McCurdy."
Rosalie Lawrence is charged with an "ongoing scheme to defraud, and the criminal use of personal information due to her impersonating Rosalee McCurdy" and "receiving the profits on the sale of Rosalee McCurdy's vacant lot."
The affidavit lists Mani Capital, D.R. Horton and Rosalee McCurdy as victims in the case.
So who gets the property?
"In regard to returning the property or making the victim whole with the property, that's handled in a civil nature," Palmer said.
Rosalee McCurdy spoke with WPTV at the site of the property about the challenge of getting her land back.
"It's hard. It's hard," McCurdy.
The situation is difficult because D.R. Horton is listed in county tax records as the property's owner.
Since Rosalee McCurdy never signed off on the sale, it's unclear who will get the land.
"I don’t know how they could have gotten this far," McCurdy said in disbelief.
HOW TO PREVENT A SIMILAR SITUATION
So, how can other property owners reduce the chances of this happening to you?
Palm Beach and Treasure Coast counties have a program called "Property Fraud Alert."
County Clerk of Court Offices notify you immediately if there is an inquiry about any deeds, mortgages or other official records or issued in your name.
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