Man accused in civil lawsuit of defrauding woman set to go on trial in separate criminal fraud case
ATLANTA - Sometimes, it can seem as if Allen Pendergrass is doing something different all over town. Working. Dining out. Worshipping. And celebrating.
But, in a local lawsuit, Krayla Brice claims that it all adds up to one thing: theft
"He forged my signature and he signed my deed and transferred it overnight without me knowing," said Krayla Brice.
Brice is talking about a house at 1045 Lawton Avenue in southwest Atlanta. The deed shows she bought it in 2012. She said she wanted her mother to have a place to live after her mother was badly injured in an auto accident.
"She used some of the money from her accident to help me renovate," said Brice, a chef in Boston.
At some point, her mother, seen in some of those pictures, developed an "intimate relationship" with Allen Pendergrass. He admitted it in his answer to the lawsuit.
Krayla Brice knew her mother was dating someone named Allen Pendergrass. And, she knew he was teaching her mother about "tax liens" and convinced her to become a business partner and a "notary public."
I asked if she knew anything about his background and she answered no.
This is what Krayla Brice didn't know. In 2015, Allen Pendergrass pled guilty to two counts of bank fraud in Ohio. A federal judge sentenced him to 30 months in prison. When he got out, he came to Atlanta and met her mother.
Krayla Brice contends in her lawsuit, that after Allen Pendergrass returned to Atlanta he "forged" her signature on a deed and sold her home to a company called Georgia Property Tax Solutions. Pendergrass' daughter, Ashley Hayes, is a registered agent of the company, according to the lawsuit.
"I was honestly, when I found out I just couldn't go to sleep. I just kept Googling and find out more and more and more stuff, because I was just so shocked," said Brice.
She claims in her suit Pendergrass tricked her mother into signing off on the deal. How? The suit claims Pendergrass had Krayla Brice's mother "practice" signing documents with her notary stamp. The suit contends Pendergrass took one of those notarized - practice documents and "forged" Krayla Brice's signature on it to make it look like she had sold her home. "
"That is not my signature there is no way. My handwriting is totally different," said Brice.
Pendergrass counter-sued claiming Krayla Brice's mother "purchased" the Lawton Street home and put the deed in "her daughter Krayla Brice's name." Pendergrass claims that the mother "had authority" to sell the property to him.
"My mom's never had power of attorney. She's never had the right to sell the house," said Brice.
Krayla Brice is not alone. The owner of another home in Atlanta sued Georgia Property Tax Solutions and Allen Pendergrass. One accusation in the suit: Pendergrass "has a history" of defrauding senior citizens "out of their homes."
Pendergrass denied the charges in his answer to the lawsuit. We tried to talk to him, but he would not respond. His lawyer did not answer our phone call or email.
But there is more. While Allen Pendergrass is fighting in civil court over allegations he stole people's homes, he is awaiting trial on new criminal charges of mail fraud and aggravated ID theft in Federal Court
The U.S. Attorney described the alleged scheme, claiming Pendergrass and a co-defendant mailed "forged power of attorney forms "to the City of Atlanta and fraudulently claimed over $100,000 owed to local businesses and residents. These forms included "forged signatures."
"You've got someone who is under investigation in a criminal case and might also be the subject of a lawsuit. That is not uncommon at all," said former federal prosecutor Jeff Brickman.
Jeff Brickman is a former Dekalb County DA and federal prosecutor. He says Pendergrass' situation is often seen by prosecutors and he was not surprised when he examined the court records.
"From what I've read in the priors and what he is charged with now, the schemes are similar. And, that's why that kind of evidence is so powerful," said Brickman.
Krayla Brice just wants it over with. And, she wants her home back in her name.
"I just woke up one day and now your house isn't your house. But, what else are these people doing out there," said Brice.
We reached out to Allen Pendergrass through his family and did not hear back from him. His lawyer calls the Krayla Brice suit frivolous and says she will file a motion to dismiss it.
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