Woman Arrested For Allegedly Forging Her Dead Mother's Signature to Sell Property for $42k

72-year-old Lydia Robles faces multiple charges including forgery and grand larceny after allegedly selling a property under false pretenses, leading to significant financial loss and renovation expenses for the unsuspecting buyer

ST. CROIX — A 72-year old woman is facing felony fraud charges after police say she forged her dead mother’s signature on property sale documents.

According to the V.I. Department, the VIPD Economic Crimes Unit began investigating a complaint in December 2021, alleging that Lydia Robles impersonated her deceased mother by signing a contract of sale for a property in Williams Delight.

Ms. Robles reportedly received $42,000 for the fraudulent sale of the property, which she does not own, the VIPD said. Compounding the issue, the unwitting buyer then made approximately $70,000 worth of renovations to the property before they discovered that they did not legally own the property, either.