A South Florida lawyer is facing three felony charges after authorities accused her of using her position to help a Cooper City woman steal her son’s stake in a home.
Authorities arrested Ashley Ruth Morin, 28, of Cooper City, on Monday, according to Broward County jail records.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the Broward Sheriff’s Office investigation into Morin began after the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office received a complaint that Suzanne Corcoran, who’s also been charged in the case, filed a forged quit claim deed in her son’s name “which removed his interest in the property,” which they had owned jointly.
BSO Detective Robert Feick, working as part of a detachment with the BCPA, wrote in the affidavit that Morin once worked for Corcoran’s son as an attorney.
Feick wrote that after Corcoran, 64, returned from vacation on May 8, 2023, Morin drove her around to various post offices in order to find someone to notarize a pre-stamped deed bearing the victim’s signature.
Corcoran was eventually successful at a UPS Store, authorities said. Feick wrote that she and Morin drove to a Davie library to make copies of the deed. Corcoran, he wrote, then asked a third party, whose name was redacted from the affidavit, to pick her up and take her to the Broward County Governmental Center to record the deed.
The affidavit states that Corcoran had brought a copy of the deed and county employees informed her that they needed the original, which Morin had.
Morin “brought the original deed” and Corcoran recorded it, Feick wrote.
“(Redacted) stated that Morin informed him that she had printed the deed at (redacted) before leaving her job there,” Feick wrote. “Additionally, Morin told (redacted) that she stole (the victim’s) signature stamp from his office before leaving the job. Additionally, Morin told (redacted) that (the victim) had two stamps, ensuring that he wouldn’t notice one of the stamps missing.”
Corcoran, during a consultation with another lawyer, tried to falsely implicate that third party in the case to conceal Morin’s involvement, according to the affidavit.
Feick wrote that a witness told investigators that Morin advised Corcoran to “discard the stamp,” which she did.
“Suzanne told her that one of the attorneys she consulted with told Suzanne that what she did was a crime and had advised her to reverse it back to how (the deed) was originally...which Suzanne eventually did,” he wrote.
Feick wrote that there were also “screenshots of messages apparently received by Suzanne from Ashley Morin wherein Morin appears to be giving Suzanne advice on the situation.”
The detective wrote that he spoke over the phone with Morin on Feb. 7. He said she claimed she “didn’t know much of anything” regarding what happened and she denied taking the stamp or seeing it.
“When asked if she drove Suzanne Corcoran around to get the deed notarized, she stated that she no longer wanted to answer any questions and would not come in for an interview,” Feick wrote.
Both Morin and Corcoran are facing charges of first-degree grand theft, filing false documents against property and criminal use of personal identification information. Corcoran has pleaded not guilty in the case.
According to the Florida Bar website, Morin has since been employed as a Boca Raton-based associate for Shendell & Pollock, P.A., “a full-service litigation and business law firm.”
Her biography was still listed on the firm’s website late Tuesday morning, but was removed later Tuesday afternoon.
Local 10 News contacted Shendell & Pollock seeking comment Tuesday morning and had not heard back as of Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Florida Bar confirmed Tuesday afternoon that that entity has an “open investigation” into Morin’s conduct.
Morin did not have an attorney of her own listed in Broward court records. Corcoran’s attorney, Scott Saul, spoke to Local 10 News on Tuesday afternoon, noting that his client is presumed innocent.
“There are significant mitigating circumstances here and there’s a sad family feud going on,” Saul said.
Saul said he couldn’t elaborate on those circumstances.
Morin was being held in the BSO Main Jail on a $15,000 bond as of Tuesday afternoon, while Corcoran had already bonded out of jail following her arrest Thursday.
The BCPA’s office has a free program homeowners can use to prevent title fraud.
Link: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/06/11/south-florida-attorney-accused-of-helping-woman-steal-home/
