Notary in Las Vegas foreclosure fraud case found dead
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A notary who was set to be sentenced for her part in a massive foreclosure fraud investigation was found dead in her Las Vegas home Monday.
Tracy Lawrence, 43, had pleaded guilty to one count of notarizing the signature of an individual not in her presence, a misdemeanor with a potential prison sentence of up to one year, as well as a fine of up to $2,000.
Lawrence had pleaded guilty to participating in an alleged scheme being investigated by the Nevada attorney general’s office in which tens of thousands of fraudulent documents were filed between 2005 and 2008 with the Clark County Recorder’s Office. Two Orange County residents have been indicted in that investigation, accused of directing the operation.
Lawrence was scheduled to appear before a judge at 8:30 a.m. Monday. When she did not appear, investigators with the attorney general’s office visited her home and found her dead, said Jennifer Lopez, a spokeswoman with the office of Nevada Atty. Gen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
Officer Jacinto Rivera, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman, said that Lawrence’s death was not being investigated as a homicide.
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— Alejandro Lazo
Twitter.com/alejandrolazo