Duane McKinney, 35, Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges of fraud, theft, and monetary transactions.

Specifically, McKinney was found guilty of four counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, three counts of first degree theft, and two counts of monetary transactions. McKinney is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15, 2008, before the Honorable Judge Reggie B. Walton. At sentencing, McKinney faces a likely range of imprisonment of 87 - 108 months under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The government's evidence at trial established that Duane McKinney obtained title to D.C. and Maryland properties through forged deeds, that is, deeds which purported to be signed by the owners transferring the properties to McKinney or his non-profit business. In fact, the deeds were not signed by the owners; the vast majority of the owners were deceased at the time of the forged and false deeds. McKinney was assisted by Joe D. Liles, who would sign his name to these false deeds as the "notary" falsely stating that he saw the owner sign the deeds as grantor and that the owner "personally appeared before him." Once the deeds were notarized, McKinney caused the forged and notarized deeds to be filed with the District of Columbia's Recorder of Deeds and the Prince George's Circuit Court Land Records. McKinney would then sell the properties as if they belonged to him or his non-profit business and would use the money for his own personal desires. McKinney wrongfully obtained approximately 14 properties, nine of which he sold in order to gain for himself more than $770,000.

Liles, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty on January 16, 2008. to the charge of false statements. Liles is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2008 before Judge Walton.