A man is being sought for allegedly selling property in Fulton County he didn’t own. An arrest warrant has been issued for 51-year-old David Lange, who has an address listed in Blaine, Minn., is facing a felony count of theft of property.According to the probable cause affidavit, a couple contacted the Cherokee Village Police Department last Wednesday regarding their purchase of a building site and the construction of a residence on the site. The male said he had been in contact with a man identifying himself as David Joas, who was found to be Lange.
Lange reportedly showed the male several pieces of property, including one identified as an Omaha Center addition. Lange allegedly claimed he was in the process of purchasing the entire property from the city, and he could sell the victims the building site. He also stated he was in association with a construction company who could build a residence on the site.
Lange reportedly requested a down payment of $58,000, and the money was wired Dec. 8 to an account titled Fonce Chevalier Holdings, LLC. He communicated to the victims the clearing of the lot was completed, the foundation was being laid last week, and framing would begin this week.
Contact with the Cherokee Village Planning and Zoning Department reportedly indicated the lot had not been owned by the city. The property, covering nearly 11 acres, had never been subdivided, and there had not been a request to do so. In addition, no building permits had been requested or issued.
The Fulton County Assessor’s Office was contacted for a copy of the deed for the lot, and the property was revealed by be owned by a couple currently residing in Florida. The male of the couple stated he had not attempted to subdivide the property or sell a building site. He did say he was in the process of selling the property to a limited liability corporation through his realtor.
The realtor was contacted, and she provided a copy of the real estate contract. It was signed on Jan. 5, and the purchaser was identified as Lange on behalf of Fonce Chevalier Holdings. The realtor stated Lange never made a security deposit or an escrow deposit. The planning and zoning department went on to say even if Lange owned the property at the time of the $58,000 payment, he could not have sold the building site because the lot had not been subdivided.
A check of court records in Minnesota indicate Lange has been convicted multiple times of theft by swindle using the same practices.
Bond for Lange will be set at $58,000 if taken into custody.
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