Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee announced today that the County Attorney’s Office is starting the process to sue a local title company that has repeatedly defrauded community members in real estate transactions. County Attorney Menefee was joined by Commissioner Lesley Briones and victims of Patriot Title's scams.

Patriot Title and Rachel Luna have been sued more than 20 times in the past decade for their fraudulent real estate schemes, including:

Receiving escrow funds from a buyer during a real estate transaction and refusing to release those funds to the seller;

Serving as the title company in a real estate transaction involving a forged deed;

Knowingly selling property the company does not own to an unsuspecting buyer; and

Failing to disclose that the company has an interest in the real estate transaction.

“Buying a home is one of the most important decisions a family makes. We can not allow companies to take advantage of people during that process, leaving them deprived of both the home they hoped to buy and thousands of dollars,” said County Attorney Menefee. “If you have had a similar experience with Patriot Title, we want to hear about it. We’re taking steps to sue Patriot Title to protect Harris County residents from fraud. Enough is enough.”

"We must take action against bad actors who seek to defraud residents. Homeownership is a hallmark of the American Dream. As we work to break down barriers to this achievement, and make sure all people have equitable access to housing, we must also ensure they are not taken advantage of in the process,” Commissioner Lesley Briones said.

Harris County residents who have been a victim of a false, misleading, or deceptive business practice by Patriot Title or Rachel Luna's escrow and title service business in connection with a real estate transaction can visit cao.harriscountytx.org or email ConsumerHelp@harriscountytx.gov to provide additional information to the county about their experience.