A 29-year-old Oklahoma County man is accused of trying three separate times to file paperwork claiming he owned a $5.4 million mansion in Oklahoma City's gated Gaillardia neighborhood, even as the real homeowner watched mail and electric service get quietly redirected in the alleged scheme's name and someone attempted to take out a loan against the home. Antonio Moore was ultimately arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center after clerk's office staff refused to let the paperwork through.
Three Attempts to Claim a 14,000-Square-Foot Mansion
According to News 9, the attempts to claim ownership of the home were reported on Sept. 11, Sept. 25 and Sept. 30. Authorities say Moore was trying to obtain the deed to a 14,000-square-foot home in Gaillardia worth $5.4 million, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say Moore attempted to file documents claiming he had inherited the property from deceased relatives.
Each time, employees at the Oklahoma County Clerk's Office caught the problem before a fraudulent deed could be recorded. The station's report says staff carefully reviewed the documents, explained why they couldn't transfer ownership of the property, and asked additional questions — stopping the paperwork cold every time Moore returned.
Homeowner Noticed Mail, Utilities and a Loan Attempt
The scheme reportedly started showing up around the homeowner's life well before the paperwork reached the clerk's desk. In April, the homeowners association contacted the homeowner about a man trying to enter the gated community claiming he had inherited the house, and community security turned him away; the man then attempted to enter the neighborhood two more times that same month, per the same account.
The homeowner also began receiving mail addressed to Moore at the property, and electric service was switched into Moore's name. Someone also attempted to transfer the water service, and the homeowner's bank informed him that someone had attempted to take out a loan against his own house. On Sept. 11, the homeowner filed a written statement at the Oklahoma County Clerk's Office detailing months of suspicious activity, and clerk's office employees alerted the actual homeowner once the pattern became clear.
Charges Described Differently Across Reports
Accounts of the exact charges against Moore vary. News 9 reports that Moore has since been charged with forgery and attempting to obtain property through deception, while the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office account carried by FOX 25 states that Moore returned to the clerk's office two more times and was arrested on complaints of counterfeiting and forgery. The deed itself was never recorded, according to officials.
Sheriff Warns the Scheme Could Hit Any Homeowner
Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said most people worry about someone breaking into their home, not someone trying to steal the house itself. Johnson described property fraud as a silent, under-the-radar way for criminals to attach themselves to a property and ultimately get money, warning that if the deed had actually been recorded, the homeowner could have faced a far more complicated legal fight to reclaim his own property.
Johnson also warned that anyone could become a victim of this type of crime, adding that someone who has spent 30 years paying off a modest home could face the very same nightmare as the owner of a multimillion-dollar mansion. The sheriff's office is encouraging residents to check property records often, watch for unfamiliar mail, and keep an eye on unexpected changes to utility accounts.
A Free Alert Tool and a Pattern of Similar Cases
The Oklahoma County Clerk's Office offers a free property-alert service that notifies registered users when a document affecting their property is recorded, according to FOX 25's separate coverage of the clerk's office's safeguards. Officials have said an alert for unusual activity on a property is typically received within 24 to 48 hours.
This is not the first time a metro homeowner has faced this kind of scare. In 2024, an Oklahoma City woman said her family's modest 600-square-foot home, built 70 years ago, was nearly taken through fraudulent records, according to The Oklahoman. Saina Monhatwa said a chance visit to the house where she was raised near Southwest 49 and Independence Avenue may be what kept her from losing it and the memories tied to it for good.
