“Tell them I’m very sorry, but they were victims of fraud.”
“The sale was illegal, and they need to cooperate fully with the federal investigation.”
“But they spent their life savings.”
“They took out a mortgage.”
“They’ve already moved in.”
“The FBI will handle the financial recovery process.”
“Right now, everyone needs to focus on cooperating with federal investigators.”
I hung up and returned to the living room, where Jake was still holding court.
“Who was that?” Mom asked.
“The buyers’ lawyer.”
Jake perked up.
“Everything okay?”
“No problems with the closing, I hope.”
I sat down and looked directly at my brother.
“Jake, I need you to understand something very important.”
“My house wasn’t just any property.”
“Because of my job and security clearance, it’s registered with federal authorities.”
“Any unauthorized transaction triggers an automatic investigation.”
Jake laughed.
“Come on, Sarah.”
“It’s just a regular house in a regular neighborhood.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“The FBI is currently confiscating every document related to the sale.”
“They’re treating this as wire fraud, identity theft, and illegal transfer of federally monitored property.”
The room fell silent.
“That’s ridiculous,” Dad said after a moment.
“Jake was helping you out of a bad situation.”
“There was no bad situation.”
“I never missed a payment.”
“I never signed a power of attorney.”
“And I never gave anyone permission to sell my house.”
Jake’s confidence began to crack.
“But the bank confirmed you were behind on payments.”
“Jake, did you actually speak to my mortgage company, or did you call a different number?”
His face turned pale.
“I called the number I found online.”
“What name did you give them?”
“I said I was Jake Morrison, your brother, and that I was concerned about your property.”
I nodded slowly.
“And they gave you detailed financial information about my mortgage over the phone based on nothing more than sharing my last name?”
The room became uncomfortable.
Family members began looking confused.
“The signature on the power of attorney,” I continued.
“When and where did I supposedly sign it?”
“The day before you left.”
“In your kitchen.”
“Jake, I went directly from my office to the airport.”
“I never went home that day, and I certainly never signed legal documents giving you control over my property.”