Ex-records Dept. aide accused of deed bribes

A former employee of the city's Records Department was accused in a federal complaint yesterday of accepting $2,000 to prepare bogus deeds and deeds that were not authorized by the department.

The arrest affidavit said some property owners were unaware that their properties had been sold.

Authorities said Ramon Pabon, 62, who was arrested by the FBI yesterday, worked for the Records Department from 2003 to 2008 and was responsible only for examining and recording deeds but was prohibited from preparing the deeds.

According to the arrest affidavit by FBI agent Jason Blake, Pabon received cash and checks from 2003 to 2008 outside the scope of his job to draft and record deeds that transferred properties to individuals.

The arrest affidavit said Pabon admitted during an interview with investigators in April that he found owners and prepared deeds for more than 100 people, charging a fee of $200 to $250 per property, which was in addition to the $156.50 fee an individual paid to record a deed.

The arrest affidavit said some property owners were unaware that their properties had been sold.

The affidavit detailed a transaction involving the purchase and sale of a property on 6th Street. (The property was not identified to protect the privacy of individuals involved in the transactions.)

A woman identified as "AL" told authorities that she purchased the property with Pabon's help.

The arrest affidavit said AL paid Pabon $400 to prepare and record the deed. After she bought the property, AL didn't have enough money to fix it up and asked Pabon to help her sell it.

Acting as a middleman, Pabon found a buyer who agreed to purchase the property for $3,500 and gave AL the paperwork to sign that transferred the property, the arrest affidavit said.

Blake also interviewed "FR," one of the parties on the other side of the transaction.

FR's sister, MR, was interested in buying the property and they negotiated with Pabon, paying him $7,000 to buy the property, the affidavit said.

FR understood the $7,000 also included the price Pabon charged to prepare and file the deed. FR gave Pabon a check for $2,000, dated Nov. 20, 2007, as a first installment, which Pabon deposited in his bank account, the arrest affidavit said.

MR paid the remaining $5,000 to Pabon when he prepared the deed for transfer of the property to MR. Pabon filed the deed on Dec. 24, 2007, the arrest affidavit said.

Blake said he, an IRS agent and an investigator with the city's Inspector General's Office searched Pabon's home on April 1 and found numerous deeds and real estate documents, including a transfer tax certification for the 6th Street property and handwritten notes referring to AL and FR. Authorities said Pabon also admitted instructing another individual how to prepare and file bogus deeds and assisted the person in filing the phony deeds.

Pabon's attorney could not be reached for comment yesterday.