2 Charged With Posing As Property Owners For Illegal Real Estate Sales

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man and woman who allegedly posed as property owners and sold vacant plots or structures -- netting them nearly $1 million in profit -- were arrested this week and face federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

Victor Hugo Villalobos Almazan and Nayeli Noemi Montoya Rodriguez, both of Mexico, are accused in a pair of illegal real estate sales, including one of a parcel of vacant land in San Diego, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors say that in early 2023, Villalobos Almazan impersonated the recorded owner of the San Diego parcel, then had the proceeds from the sale wired to bank accounts in foreign countries.

Montoya Rodriguez is accused in a similar unlawful sale, in which she claimed to be the owner of a property that was sold for around $400,000.

The U.S. Attorney's Office did not specify where that property was located, but said that after the sale went through, Montoya Rodriguez wired most of the proceeds into foreign bank accounts, then was seen withdrawing "several thousand dollars of the money at various ATMs in San Diego."

Some of those withdrawals were made with Villalobos Almazan present, prosecutors said.

The pair were arrested Tuesday at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, which they flew into from Mexico.

— City News Service