John Fuller has lived in Houston’s Trinity Gardens neighborhood for more than 60 years and he’s fed up with its residents being preyed upon by criminals.
Fuller, 70, could talk all day about the crime he’s witnessed in broad daylight, but he’s troubled lately by the scams that he says are shrouded in secrecy, targeting his elderly, unsuspecting and trusting neighbors.
At least four Trinity Gardens property owners were victimized recently in a fraudulent property deed scheme in which a scammer pretended to own the properties he was selling, according to a lawsuit filed last month by Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee.
And the rightful property owners weren’t the only ones scammed; in some cases, buyers paid cash to the fraudster for homes he didn’t have the right to sell.
The alleged scammers, Travious West and his associate Wilson Sereal, chose properties that were once owned by a person who is now dead, and in some cases, the relatives who inherited the homes didn’t know they were the owners, according to court documents.
The men are charged with violating the Deceptive Trade Practices Consumer Protection Act of the Texas Business and Commerce Code. West and Sereal do not currently have legal representation and could not be reached for comment.
“Prior to filing suit, our office provided the defendants an opportunity to explain their position and provide evidence to support it,” said Roxanne Werner, director of communications and outreach for the Harris County Attorney’s Office.
“Both defendants responded but provided no explanation or evidence to demonstrate they did not engage in the conduct alleged in the lawsuit,” she said. “Neither defendant indicated whether they are willing or able to provide restitution to the victims.”
Fuller, who serves as the church secretary at New Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Weaver Road, said pastor Harrell Ray Berry will be addressing the matter from the pulpit on Sunday.
“It’s a sign of the times,” Fuller said. “People are evil now. We’ve got a generation of godless people. It’s horrible.”
Menefee’s lawsuit alleges that West, occasionally assisted by Sereal, forged deeds for homes on Earline Street, Heath Street and Weaver Road and a vacant lot on Los Angeles Street.
Abril Gutierrez, who has owned her home near Weaver Road for about two years, said she hadn’t spotted any unsuspecting new homeowners moving into the neighborhood carrying a fraudulent deed, but she wasn’t surprised.
“A lot of the houses in the neighborhood look abandoned,” she said. “No one takes care of them, so if the owner died, it’s probably just been sitting there empty for years.”
Gutierrez’s brother Brian, who was visiting the area, said it’s disappointing that someone would prey on senior citizens.
“He’s specifically doing this to the elderly?” he asked. “He’s taking advantage of them. I hope they get him.”
Menefee’s office only pursues civil claims, therefore the likely outcome — and what they’re seeking in the Trinity Gardens cases — is restitution of funds and the property deeds being restored to the rightful owner. The District Attorney’s Office could pursue criminal charges, Werner said.
The county is seeking penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation or up to $250,000 in cases involving elderly victims.
“In addition to seeking a permanent injunction that would prohibit the defendants from engaging in unlawful conduct in the future, our office has asked that they be ordered to pay civil penalties and damages and restitution to persons who were injured by their conduct,” Werner said. “The form and amount of damages and restitution sought will be further developed through the duration of the lawsuit.”
In April, the county sued a Houston couple who allegedly forged legal documents and wrongfully claimed ownership of at least 35 homes. Menefee at the time said it was one of the most brazen property fraud schemes his office had encountered. That case has not yet been resolved, officials with the County Attorney’s Office said this week.
“Let me be clear, this type of scheme that steals homes from their rightful owners has no place in Harris County,” Menefee said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to do what it takes to show that we will not tolerate taking advantage of residents here.”
In a January press conference, Menefee announced the launch of “Stay Scam Free in Harris County,” a tip line for Harris County residents who think they’ve been targeted in a fraud scheme.
“My office is taking strong action to stop these individuals from continuing to create fake documents, mess up property records, and trick buyers who thought they were making real purchases,” Menefee said.
The Trinity Gardens cases were reported to the county attorney by members of the public, Werner said.
Menefee, who is running for the Congressional District 18 seat vacated in March by the late Sylvester Turner, was elected Harris County attorney in 2021.
Menefee’s 18-page lawsuit, filed in mid-May in Harris County’s 269th District Court, provides detailed summaries of what attorneys believe occurred at each of the four properties.
The Weaver Road property was owned by Serrell and Mildred Collins since 1949. After their deaths in 1988 and 2001, ownership was passed on to their heirs. The lawsuit claims that in September 2019, Sereal forged Collins’ signature on a warranty deed transferring the property to West.
“On the same day, Defendant West filed the deed to be recorded in the Harris County real property records,” according to court documents. “Defendant West then sold the Weaver Road Property to a third party. Defendant West premised his sale of the Weaver Road Property on misrepresentations to the buyer that he owned the Weaver Road Property.”
Relying on West’s representation, the buyer entered into an agreement with West and paid him for the title to the Weaver Road property, Menefee claims in the suit.
“Now, the buyer, who has invested money and other resources into the Weaver Road Property, likely has no legitimate ownership interest in the property and the Collins heirs lack clear title,” the suit states.
The Weaver Road property is gated and it didn’t appear anyone was home on Wednesday. It’s just yards away from New Mount Carmel Baptist Church, where Fuller and church administrator Eugene Williams talked about a plan for addressing the scams at Sunday services.
“We need to tell people, don’t trust anybody wanting to buy your property,” Fuller said. “This church is mostly seniors, over 50 and up to 92, 93 and 94. We need to tell them to be vigilant.”
But it’s challenging to practice vigilance when the fraud is occurring without the knowledge of the rightful homeowners, Fuller and Williams acknowledged. The men said they want to educate their neighbors about deed fraud in their neighborhood and encourage them to check on each other and homes that appear to be abandoned after a death.
Williams said he’s been approached several times about selling a church-owned lot for cheap, another predatory scam though unrelated to the alleged deed fraud.
“Not today and not tomorrow,” Williams said when asked what he tells the callers.
Other properties named in Menefee’s lawsuit have similarities to the Weaver Road site, with attorneys alleging signatures were forged and the properties changed hands without the rightful owner’s knowledge.
The Heath Street property was owned by Peggy Stratton Sells until her death in 2022. Just two days after she died, Menefee says West submitted a forged warranty deed to the clerk’s office. He then sold the home to a family for $120,000.
“Relying on this misrepresentation, the family paid Defendant West a substantial down payment and continues to pay Defendant West a monthly amount, believing they purchased the Heath Street Property from a legitimate seller,” the lawsuit claims.
A woman who answered the door at the Heath Street home on Wednesday said she was house-sitting for her mother, who is the owner and was out of town. She said she didn’t know anything about the deed fraud allegations. Other neighbors on the street declined to comment.
When reportedly attempting to commit deed fraud on the Earline Street property, West allegedly forged signatures of not only the original deceased owner, but heirs who were also dead, the lawsuit claims. A reporter approached a man pulling into the driveway of the Earline house on Wednesday and asked if he’d be willing to comment on the deed fraud allegations.
“No,” the man said, refusing to show his face.
Menefee’s office is alleging that West forged a deed for the Los Angeles Street Property and filed it with the Harris County Clerk’s Office but has not attempted to sell the vacant lot.
Fuller, who lived for many years on Los Angeles Street, said he’s not going to sit around and watch someone prey on his neighbors.
“I raised my kids in this neighborhood,” he said. “I’m not OK with this. We’re not going to let this happen in our neighborhood.”
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
