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The thefts also caused the woman with a mental health condition to lose more than $110,000, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens.
,After a four-day trial, the jury found Obadiah Salters guilty on all 24 counts of theft and forgery charges, Stephens said on Friday, March 17.
In December 2016, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit initiated an investigation into alleged acts of forgery and theft by Salters against the victim.
In September 2016, Salters forged the victim’s signature and initials on a power of attorney document, granting him legal authority to act on her behalf; that document was recorded with the Essex County Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Subsequently, in November 2016, Salters forged the victim’s signature on a deed, conveying her right, title, and interest in her house on Ridge Street in Newark to him. At the time, the house had an assessed value of $172,000, the prosecutor said.
The house was the victim’s childhood home, which she inherited from her parents, and where she lived for more than four decades. The notary public testified that the victim was not present when the power of attorney document and the deed were notarized. Additionally, Salters forged the victim’s signature, along with the signature of her late mother, on checks that were deposited into his bank account, totaling more than $110,000.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 4.
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