How to Steal a House Without Getting Caught… Until You Get Murdered
How to Steal a House Without Getting Caught… Until You Get Murdered
This isn’t a heist movie. It’s worse. In real life, the villain wore a tailored suit and smiled in your face while he took your entire life savings.
It started with a murder. A man walked into a quiet office in a suburb of Toronto with a shotgun, and he left in a body bag. Two people he had confronted died too. But the bullets weren’t the real story.
The real story is what happened, and why. What drives a hardworking father—a home renovator with two kids—to pick up a hunting rifle and take three lives, including his own? It wasn’t rage. It wasn’t revenge. It was a fraud. Cold, calculated, and legally invisible.
The Investment That Started It All
They borrowed $1.2 million against their paid-off home to invest in something called private lending. They knew the rehab business. They were promised first position on the mortgage. What could go wrong?
The crook never filed the mortgage lien. The man they handed the money to was a professional scam artist with, by all accounts, decades of experience running schemes exactly like this one. A simple deep Google search on his name and his many aliases could have warned them. But they trusted him because he wore a nice suit and said all the right things. Now they’re both dead. It didn’t have to end that way.
Alan Kats and his wife thought they were playing it smart. The house was paid off. The market was booming. A friend told him, “Don’t buy another house and fix it up. You’re working too hard. Be the bank. Lend money. Get 10% returns and enjoy your retirement.”
Enter the wolf in mortgage-broker clothing. Kats and his wife were steered toward a broker who helped them pull nearly $1.4 million out of their home equity and funnel it into a web of private mortgages.
What they didn’t know: the web was spun by the broker’s husband, Arash Missaghi. A career con man whose name never appeared on a single document, yet who controlled everything. He hid behind LLCs, corporations, and shell companies.
The Invisible Puppet Master
Professional con men are smart. They hide their assets. They hide their criminal past. And if a mortgage lien isn’t registered, it doesn’t exist. You just burned $1.3 million into thin air. No security. No recourse. Nothing.
You think they didn’t call the police? They did. They called the FBI. But Alan Kats believed he had signed official mortgage agreements. He hadn’t. He had signed papers that were worthless, because the man never registered them. He thought corporate paperwork protected him. It didn’t. Every shell company was a puppet on Missaghi’s strings. When Kats started asking hard questions, he was introduced to a new man—Ariani. Soft voice. Big promises. Ariani was Missaghi. New name, same lies.
Here’s where it turns ugly. Missaghi used borrowed funds to pay off other debts—sometimes using one victim’s money to seize control of an asset, pay off another victim, force a sale, and pocket the proceeds. He walked away clean, over and over, for twenty years.
The victims were left with nothing. No property. No money. No justice. This is a classic Ponzi scheme dressed in mortgage-banker clothing. Same story, different asset class. Think Bernie Madoff—but houses instead of stocks.
Twenty years. Two dozen scams. Zero convictions. He was investigated. And despite a trail of wrecked lives, court records, court decisions, and financial carnage spanning two decades, Missaghi was never convicted in Canada or any other country.
Why? Because he never put his name on any piece of paper linking the crimes to him. He was an invisible puppet master, using straw men and fake names to do business and drain people’s life savings. Regulators couldn’t touch him. Police couldn’t pin it on him. And the victims were simply told, “Sorry. You should get a lawyer.”
Some got a lawyer. One man got a gun.
Alan Kats did what desperate people sometimes do when they’re backed into a corner with no options, no justice, and no hope. He didn’t just lose an investment. He lost his life savings, his home, his future. He lost faith in the system. He didn’t kill only for revenge—he killed to stop a predator from ruining more families. In the movies, they call that man a hero or a vigilante. In the news, he’s a crazed murderer. The truth, as always, is more complicated than either label. On the day he walked into that building, he left a handwritten note: stop these criminals from destroying people’s lives.
Was he a hero? Was he a murderer? Justice delayed is fraud enabled. I like to shine light on the silent epidemic of real estate fraud, forgery, and con men. Stealing homes from widows and families happens all the time.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Don’t invest in Ponzi schemes. There are thousands of ways to build a retirement fund, and thousands more for someone to steal it from you or your family. The next time you hear the word “opportunity” and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t trust someone to do the work for you and mail you a check every month. Those deals do exist—but you’d better do your homework.
My name is Bart Baggett. I’m a forensic document examiner and forgery expert, and cases like this one are exactly why I do this work. This wasn’t just about forged paperwork or one bad man. It was about broken legal systems, underfunded agencies, shadow networks, and lives torn apart while the man walked free and drank champagne. If you think white-collar crime is nonviolent, tell that to the children who lost their father. Tell that to the family sleeping in a motel because their life savings vanished with one bad investment. Just one.
For every legitimate private lending opportunity, two more are built on fraud and bad faith. Don’t just protect your home. Protect your family. Protect your legacy.
Handwriting Experts Inc. — Dallas–Fort Worth
539 W. Commerce St #1396, Dallas, TX 75208-1953
Call or text: 214-614-8122
Have a questioned signature or document? Tell us what you have, and we’ll help you see what the evidence actually shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the Toronto real estate fraud work?
Victims were steered into pulling nearly $1.4 million from their paid-off home into private mortgages promising first lien position — but the crook never filed the mortgage lien. Unregistered agreements left no security, no recourse, nothing.
How did the con man avoid conviction for twenty years?
He never put his name on any paper linking the crimes to him — hiding behind LLCs, shell companies, straw men, and aliases. Despite two decades of investigations and wrecked lives, he was never convicted in any country.
What is the warning sign of a private-lending Ponzi scheme?
An “opportunity” that sounds too good to be true — being told to “be the bank,” earn 10% returns, and let someone else do the work. One victim’s money was used to pay off another, Madoff-style, but with houses instead of stocks.
How can you protect yourself from real estate fraud?
Do your homework — a deep search on names and aliases can expose a scammer’s history. Verify that liens are actually registered, and never trust paperwork alone; for every legitimate private lending opportunity, more are built on fraud.
- Published in articles, Forensic Document Examination, News Stories
How Do You Fight a Forged Will in a Probate Court?
How Do You Fight a Forged Will in a Probate Court?
When someone passes away and leaves behind an estate worth fighting over, you’d be surprised how quickly a forged will can appear.
My company handles both forged and genuine documents—last wills and testaments among them. Usually, when someone dies and they had money, property, even a wedding ring, there’s a fight. And it’s often someone on the edges—a caretaker, a long-lost relative, a recent companion—who shows up holding a will that claims everything. That’s the moment a family member says, “Wait. I deserve a share of that estate.”
Why You Need an Attorney
If you’re in probate court, here’s the first thing to understand. Get a lawyer, even if you don’t think you can afford one. Without representation, you’re badly outgunned by anyone who has an attorney.
There are so many procedural maneuvers in a will contest that you may never get a chance to speak to the judge. That’s what people outside the legal field miss. You may have the perfect story. You may know exactly what happened. But you have to prove it—and you can’t, if you don’t know how. You can’t even get a qualified expert witness seated if you don’t ask the right questions or pass voir dire.
Most probate matters—a Dallas County estate dispute, say—are heard by a judge in a bench trial rather than a jury. That makes the quality of your representation and your experts even more important.
Judges do want to be fair. I’ve watched a judge sit with two pro se parties—both family members of the deceased, all of them fighting—and carefully ask questions and guide them, so the result wouldn’t get overturned on appeal. The reason is simple: neither one knew the law. But when one side knows the law and the other doesn’t, that’s an enormous advantage. So if the other side has a lawyer and you don’t, get one. And that attorney will tell you to hire someone like us—someone who does nothing but expert witness work for one specific piece of the puzzle.
How a Forensic Document Examiner Fits In
In these cases, we examine the will and determine whether it’s authentic, forged, or cut-and-pasted. Once that report is filed, the opposing side may try to have it excluded, or request an evidentiary hearing to contest the findings. If those terms are unfamiliar, that’s exactly why having an attorney matters.
I’ve even told people who truly can’t afford counsel to spend hours on ChatGPT, with a prompt like, “Act as a probate attorney in Texas. How would you handle this?” Let me be clear—ChatGPT is not a substitute for a licensed attorney. But if you genuinely can’t hire one, walking in with 90% of the right answers beats walking in with none.
I’ve had pro se clients use it to help draft motions, just to keep the case moving and get things excluded. Because if your opponent decides to bury you in paperwork, you may never get to tell your story—even if the will really was forged, even if it surfaced two years after the person died—simply because you couldn’t navigate the steps to reach a judge.
The Cost of Not Fighting Back
If you can afford a forensic handwriting expert or an expert witness, it will genuinely help your case going forward.
You could end up in probate court through no choice of your own—because someone you loved died and left a mess behind. You have my sympathies. We often land in legal situations we never wanted. But the cost of not handling them properly can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, half an estate—a million dollars. That’s wealth your side of the family could hold for generations, if you know how to fight for it.
Handwriting Experts Inc. — Dallas–Fort Worth
539 W. Commerce St #1396, Dallas, TX 75208-1953
Call or text: 214-614-8122
Have a questioned signature or document? Tell us what you have, and we’ll help you see what the evidence actually shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you fight a forged will in probate court?
Get a lawyer first — even if you don’t think you can afford one — then have a forensic document examiner determine whether the will is authentic, forged, or cut-and-pasted. Without representation you’re badly outgunned by anyone who has an attorney.
Why is representation so critical in a will contest?
There are so many procedural maneuvers that you may never get a chance to speak to the judge. You may know exactly what happened, but you have to prove it — and you can’t seat a qualified expert witness without asking the right questions and passing voir dire.
Are probate cases decided by juries?
Most probate matters are heard by a judge in a bench trial rather than a jury — which makes the quality of your representation and your experts even more important.
What’s at stake if you don’t fight back properly?
The cost of mishandling a probate fight can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars — in some cases half an estate, a million dollars. That’s wealth your side of the family could hold for generations if you know how to fight for it.
- Published in Forensic Document Examination
Q47. How Many Known Signatures Do You Actually Need to Compare?
How Many Known Signatures Do You Actually Need to Compare?
This is one of the questions I hear most often. And the answer matters more than people expect, because it can decide whether your case holds up in court.
Someone calls me, or one of my associates, and says, “I’ve got this document and one signature from my dad. Can you tell me it’s a forgery and prove it in court?” Maybe. But one signature, by itself, rarely proves a forgery—or proves that something is genuine. There are exceptions. The general rule is simple: you need enough samples to establish what we call a range of natural variation.
Why One Signature Is Rarely Enough
People come to me and say, “Isn’t it obvious? The G looks different. The Y looks different. Can’t you just call it a forgery?” With only one comparison sample, the honest answer is no—not definitively.
Think of it like points on a graph. It takes at least two points to measure a distance. In handwriting, that distance is the range of natural variation. Two signatures give you a starting point. Ten, twenty, or thirty give you a map.
If a person writes neatly and consistently—the kind of penmanship you’d expect from a Catholic school teacher—ten signatures is probably fine. But if their writing runs a little wild, or they sign differently depending on the moment, you may need ten, twenty, or thirty. I’ve had cases with four hundred samples. That’s more than necessary. But when you walk into a Tarrant County courtroom with thorough, well-organized exhibits, the judge has no doubt the analysis was rigorous.
For most cases, somewhere between ten and thirty is ideal. A few can be resolved with as little as three or four.
Gathering the Samples Is Your Job
Here’s something worth knowing before you call a forensic document examiner. Collecting the samples falls on you.
An examiner isn’t going to dig through your files, rifle through boxes in the attic, or pull records at the Dallas County courthouse. That part is yours to handle. It’s worth the time, though—because the more genuine signatures you bring, the stronger the analysis.
Handwriting Experts Inc. — Dallas–Fort Worth
539 W. Commerce St #1396, Dallas, TX 75208-1953
Call or text: 214-614-8122
Have a questioned signature or document? Tell us what you have, and we’ll help you see what the evidence actually shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many known signatures do you need for a forgery case?
For most cases, somewhere between ten and thirty is ideal — enough to establish the writer’s range of natural variation. A few cases can be resolved with as little as three or four samples.
Why isn’t one signature enough?
One comparison sample rarely proves a forgery — or proves something genuine. Like points on a graph, two signatures give a starting point; ten, twenty, or thirty give you a map of the person’s natural variation.
Does the writer’s consistency change how many samples are needed?
Yes. A neat, consistent writer may need only ten samples; someone whose writing runs wild may need twenty or thirty. Thorough, well-organized exhibits also leave the judge no doubt the analysis was rigorous.
Who gathers the known signature samples?
You do. An examiner won’t dig through your files or pull courthouse records — collecting genuine signatures falls on you, and the more you bring, the stronger the analysis.
- Published in articles, Forensic Document Examination
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Certified Handwriting Expert for Court?
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Certified Handwriting Expert for Court?
The number one question we get in our office is simple: how much does it cost to hire a handwriting expert?
If someone’s suing you, or you’re going through a divorce, and a piece of paper turns up with a signature you never agreed to — of course you need an expert. And of course the cost depends on the situation.
You might be fighting over a $4 million house, in which case the fee is no big deal. But you should know going in: this is not a $100 problem. People call all the time and say, “Oh my goodness, I thought this was a $100 problem.” If someone forged your name on a student loan or a university enrollment form and now you’re staring at an $80,000 debt, that’s not small.
I just saw an invoice from an examiner who opposed me on a case — $4,400. He wrote a great report, well-respected guy. We actually reached the same opinion on that one, even working for opposite sides.
What You Should Expect to Pay
Most cases land between $3,000 and $8,000. At least that’s true in 2026. Twenty years ago they were cheaper, sure.
Be careful of anyone offering to handle an entire case for $600 to $1,000 flat. That’s a red flag. It usually means they lack courtroom experience or proper training — they put up their own shingle and never finished learning the craft. I’d be cautious about anyone charging below $2,000.
That said, you don’t need to pay $20,000 either. Usually it’s an hourly rate, like attorneys charge. When I did one of my first TV shows, I hired an entertainment attorney at $850 an hour and thought it was crazy. They said, “If you want an entertainment attorney in Hollywood, that’s the price.” A good attorney or a good forensic expert runs $400 to $800 an hour. Don’t be surprised. You get what you pay for — that’s a real measure of quality and experience. In a Dallas County lawsuit worth a million dollars, you want the best expert on the stand. If you have the money, hire the best. If you don’t, hire the best you can afford. Just don’t be sticker-shocked when a $3,000 to $10,000 retainer is the starting point — there’s a lot of work behind it.
What Goes Into the Cost
In a typical case we may go to court, take photographs, analyze those photographs, spend hours building side-by-side demonstrative exhibits, and spend more hours talking strategy with the client or the attorney. So no, it’s not a $100 problem. But it’s not a $50,000 problem either. If you’re shopping around, expect $3,000 to $8,000 to handle a forensic case with only one or two documents in play.
That number can move, though. Hand me a book of 5,000 documents and ask for a flat rate, and that’s a different conversation entirely.
So that’s the real answer. Shop around if you’re price-sensitive, but hire on quality, because you’re investing in winning your case. The question to ask isn’t “how do I save $25 an hour” — that’s myopic. It’s like hiring a discount brain surgeon. In a high-stakes case, the cost of cutting corners is far greater than the money you save. Remember what you’re actually hiring these people to do: help you win, not help you save a few bucks.
Handwriting Experts Inc. — Dallas–Fort Worth
539 W. Commerce St #1396, Dallas, TX 75208-1953
Call or text: 214-614-8122
Have a questioned signature or document? Tell us what you have, and we’ll help you see what the evidence actually shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to hire a certified handwriting expert for court?
Most cases land between $3,000 and $8,000 in 2026, usually billed hourly like attorneys — a good forensic expert runs $400 to $800 an hour. A $3,000 to $10,000 retainer is a normal starting point, with a lot of work behind it.
Is a cheap handwriting expert a red flag?
Yes. Be careful of anyone offering to handle an entire case for $600 to $1,000 flat — it usually means they lack courtroom experience or proper training. Be cautious about anyone charging below $2,000.
What goes into the cost of a case?
Court appearances, photographs and their analysis, hours building side-by-side demonstrative exhibits, and strategy time with the client or attorney — for a typical case with only one or two documents in play.
Should I shop by price or quality?
Hire on quality, because you’re investing in winning your case. Saving $25 an hour is myopic — like hiring a discount brain surgeon. In a high-stakes case, the cost of cutting corners far exceeds the money saved.
- Published in Forensic Document Examination
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