How A PA Public Official Stole 21 Homes, According To The DA

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia public notary used her position to transfer the deeds to 21 different homes around the city to her own name, the district attorney's office announced Wednesday.

Gwendolyn Schell, 68, of the Germantown section, faces numerous 31 felony charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, identity theft, and related counts.

"A notary public is someone whose very job is to act as a gatekeeper to prevent fraud," assistant DA Kimerly Esack said in a statement. "The system of property transfer in Philadelphia cannot survive if we can no longer trust its participants, who are tasked with safeguarding the process. Gwendolyn Schell has broken that trust and will now be held accountable for that failure."

An investigation into the house thefts has been underway since 2018.

Schell and a handful of co-conspirators forged the names of victims both dead and alive, police said.

Schell played an "instrumental" role in nearly all the thefts by notarizing documents claiming that the transfer of ownership was approved, the DA said.

Most of the fraudulent deeds also included forged signatures of the victims, a backdated execution date to a time when the victim was still alive, and a falsified price on the property in order to minimize taxes, according to officials.

The homes that were stolen include the following:

• 100 block of West Abbottsford Road
• 2700 block of North 19th Street
• 2100 block of West Clearfield Street
• Two houses on the 4800 block of Ogden Street
• The 10 block of North 50th Street
• 2100 block of Bellevue Street
• 2800 block of North 27th Street
• 2900 block of North Ringgold Street
• 2100 block of West Indiana Avenue
• 1200 block of West Cambria Street
• 2400 block of North Bouviere Street
• 2600 block of North 17th Street
• 5500 block of North Fairhill Street
• 1800 block of North 23rd Street
• 3000 block of North 24th Street
• 1500 block of West Firth Street
• 1300 block of East Lycoming Street
• 600 block of East Stafford Street
• 2900 block of West Susquehanna Avenue
• 1900 block of West Hilton Street

The investigation remains ongoing. If you have any information, contact the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office House Deed Fraud hotline at 215-686-9902.