NJ man guilty of scamming Newark woman out of house, $110K

🔲 NJ man found guilty of scamming woman with mental health condition

🔲 The victim lost over $110K and her childhood home, prosecutors say

🔲 The scammer faces a decade in prison

A 36-year-old Newark man has been found guilty of scamming a woman with a mental health condition, out of her childhood home and more than $110,000.

Obadiah Salters was convicted by an Essex County Superior Court jury of 24 counts of theft and forgery, after a four-day trial, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens.

In September 2016, Salters forged the victim’s signature and initials on a power of attorney document, granting him legal authority to act on her behalf, prosecutors said during the trial.

A month later, Salters forged the victim’s signature on the deed to her house on Ridge Street in Newark — which at the time had an assessed value of $172,000.

The woman had inherited it from her parents and had lived in the house for over 40 years since her childhood, until Salters took it over.

Investigators also found that Salters had forged the signatures of the woman and her late mother, on checks deposited into his bank account, totaling more than $110,000.

Essex County Court House (via ECPO)

Salters caught in fraud, forgery during investigation

In December 2016, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit opened an investigation into the case.

During the trial, the notary public testified that the woman was not present when the power of attorney document and the deed were notarized.

When sentenced in May, Salters faced up to 10 years in state prison for his second-degree theft conviction.

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Allison Korodan said that after many years, the victim has finally received justice and closure.

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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