Two Pittsburgh men face charges numerous felony charges for an alleged conspiracy involving forged property deeds, according to an announcement by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
The suspects in this case are William Schneider, 45, and William Petruskie, 57, both of Pittsburgh. Schneider is charged with 86 counts of forgery, 35 counts of theft and eight counts of criminal attempt and criminal conspiracy. Petruskie’s charges include 10 counts of theft and criminal conspiracy.
According to the criminal complaint, Schneider allegedly submitted fraudulent deed transfers for 43 separate properties in Allegheny County, using counterfeit notary stamps purchased from Amazon. The submissions for deed transfers all have in common that they were sent in a large manila envelope without a return address, reportedly purchased for $1,000, used legitimate notaries with altered seals and were submitted with Western Union money orders from the same location, which investigators found were purchased by Schneider.
Petruskie allegedly created a limited liability company under Schneider’s direction to be listed on 10 of the 43 forged property deeds.
Individuals who believe they may have property transferred out of their name without their knowledge or consent are encouraged to contact the District Attorney’s Investigations Unit at 412-388-5300.