Two Pittsburgh men charged in deed fraud scheme targeting 43 Allegheny County properties

Two Pittsburgh men are facing dozens of felony charges after investigators accused them of orchestrating a sophisticated deed fraud scheme that allegedly attempted to steal ownership of 43 properties across Allegheny County using forged documents and counterfeit notary stamps.

The charges mark the first criminal case to emerge from an investigation into a series of fraudulent property transfers that recently hit the radar of county officials and title professionals. Prosecutors allege the scheme relied on forged deeds, fake notarizations and shell companies to transfer ownership of homes and other properties without the knowledge or consent of their rightful owners.

William Schneider, 45, of Pittsburgh, was charged with 86 counts of forgery, 35 counts of theft, eight counts of criminal attempt and criminal conspiracy.

William Petruskie, 57, of Pittsburgh, was charged with 10 counts of theft and criminal conspiracy.

According to a criminal complaint, Schneider allegedly submitted fraudulent deed transfers involving 43 separate properties in Allegheny County using counterfeit notary stamps that investigators said were purchased through Amazon.

Investigators said the forged deed submissions shared several consistent characteristics. Each was mailed in a large manila envelope, listed a purchase price of $1,000, used the names of legitimate notaries with altered seals, and were paid for with Western Union money orders that investigators determined had been purchased by Schneider.

The criminal complaint also alleges Petruskie created a limited liability company at Schneider's direction that was listed as the grantee on 10 of the 43 fraudulent property deeds.

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