St. Louis County Man Admits Using Fraudulent Deed Filings to Steal At Least 14 Properties
ST. LOUIS / Friday, October 16, 2026 – A man on Thursday admitted conspiring to steal at least 14 properties in St. Louis and St. Louis County by filing fraudulent deeds.
James L. Townes Jr., 51, of Berkeley, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a conspiracy charge. Townes admitted that beginning as early as Sept. 25, 2018, he began filing fraudulent deeds in St. Louis and St. Louis County on properties that belonged to others. The filings falsely claimed that Townes or his relatives had purchased the properties. Townes and his co-defendant, Charnay Bartlett, used fraudulently obtained notary seals to “authenticate” the forged signatures of the true owners of the properties.
Townes and Bartlett transferred at least 14 properties to Townes, his companies or his friends and family, his plea agreement says. Townes admitted that his scheme involved the use of the names of 10 or more individuals and that the intended losses associated with his actions exceeded $1,500,000. The real owners had to expend considerable resources to regain the titles to their properties. Others abandoned their properties because they lacked the financial resources to initiate legal action. At least three of the property owners were deceased at the time when their purported signatures were authenticated by Townes and Bartlett. In some cases, Townes gained access to the properties by forcing entry through locked doors and squatting there.
Bartlett, 30, pleaded guilty in April to the same conspiracy charge and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. Townes is set to be sentenced on January 21. The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Hazelwood Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Contact
Robert Patrick, Public Affairs Officer, robert.patrick@usdoj.gov.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri
