St. Pete man claims house was stolen, still fighting to get it back

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) - Tony Heh is still trying to get his St. Petersburg rental house back after he says it was stolen using a forged deed. 

The St. Petersburg Police Department arrested the notary on the deed and she pleaded guilty earlier this month to fraud on Heh"s deed and on four others.

But Heh still can"t get his house back. 

"My house was stolen," Heh said. "I can"t believe the police have not kicked this man out."

The man Heh speaks of is Johnathan Blue.

It appears Blue is using Heh"s house as a rental home. Better Call Behnken has been digging into the deeds that the state attorney"s office is looking into. The office has reopened a criminal investigation.

Consumer Attorney Matt Weidner, who is not involved in this case, reviewed the case and said Heh should file an insurance claim with the notary"s insurance company. 

"She, Ms. Varner, needs to be brought before the judge and presented with that testimony, presented with that deposition. The important thing about dealing with any of these things dealing with notaries is bringing the notary company in front of this," he said.

We called the company Florida Notary Services and confirmed that the notary, Brittany Varner, had insurance. The underwriter is Travelers Insurance. 

All this started in the fall of 2016. Blue had a profitable month. Quit Claim deeds show he bought three houses, including Heh"s, for $0. 

One of the "sellers" is deceased, according to St. Petersburg police. 

Blue"s attorney, Benndrick Watson, said his client did nothing wrong.

"I"ve seen nothing to change our stance on this," Watson said. 

As for the notary? 

"Just because she pled guilty doesn"t mean she is guilty," Watson said. 

And for the sale with the deceased man?

"I don"t know about that property," Watson said. 

Here"s some background on this bizarre situation:

The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney"s Office has reopened a criminal investigation into questionable deeds that resulted in multiple homeowners losing ownership of their properties, said Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett. 

The review comes after questions from 8 On Your Side"s Better Call Behnken about a St. Petersburg man who claims his rental house in south St. Petersburg was stolen.

"This is not something we"ve seen before," said Bartlett. "We"re looking into potential charges of others."

Heh claims he was in Seattle recovering from a stroke when strangers filed a fake Quit Claim deed in Pinellas County Public Official Court Records. 

Heh claims his name was forged on the deed that shows he sold his house for $0 to Blue, a felon with a history of drug arrests. Heh insists he never met Blue or any of the witnesses listed on the deed. 

"I want him out of the house," Heh said. "I want him to get arrested and serve the time he [is] supposed to serve."

Earlier this month, the woman who notarized the deed on Heh"s property, Brittany Varner, pleaded guilty to five charges of notary fraud. She received two years of probation and must testify in any other cases involving these deals. 

The state attorney"s office says Varner notarized Quit Claim deeds on five properties and that the homeowners say they don"t know her and didn"t sell their houses. 

One of those deeds is the deed for Heh"s property. He"s furious and says the justice system failed him. It"s been two years and he can"t get his house back.

St. Petersburg police said they finished their criminal investigation and in order to get Blue out of Heh"s house, Heh would have to sue him in civil court. 

"They just washed their hands," Heh said. "They don"t continue with the case anymore."

Blue hired Watson and insists Heh sold him the home. Watson said the deed that Varner notarized is real, even though it was "sloppy" and listed the sales price as $0.

"The real victim in this case is my client," Watson said.

Watson claims Heh paid a total of $18,000 in cash for the home in two installments, and that Heh just changed his mind and wants the house back. 

"His lawyer says, "Maybe you were on prescription and don"t remember you sell the house?" Seriously? I"m not that kind of stupid person," Heh said. 

Source: https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/better-call-behnken/st-pete-man-claims-house-was-stolen-still-fighting-to-get-it-back/1249569223