Fraudulent land sales alleged
Published 8:35 am Friday, March 12, 2010
FRANKLIN—A Chesapeake man is accused of swindling victims out of at least $100,000 in fake land deals across Western Tidewater.
Linwood Eugene Turner Sr., 44, attempted to sell land that he didn’t own, Chesapeake police allege.
Turner was arrested last week and charged with six counts of forgery and five counts of obtaining money under false pretense for the alleged fake land deals. Last week, police had identified eight victims, but that number has since grown.
“I’m looking at probably 12 victims right now,” Chesapeake police Detective T. Adams said Wednesday.
Adams said Turner wrote contracts and took deposits for the sale of acres of land that he had no authority to sell.
“The land was everywhere,” Adams said. Police have identified sites in Southampton, Isle of Wight, Sussex and Surry counties, as well as in the city of Suffolk.
Adams said that Turner could face additional charges, as more alleged victims are identified and the investigation continues.
Turner was being held in the Chesapeake City Jail on Thursday.