Father-daughter team accused of perpetrating massive fraud
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Federal Way police believe a father-and-daughter team is behind what they call a "bold and elaborate scheme" to steal a house and several cars.
Police have arrested the father, 53-year-old Steve Cho, for three other thefts, and all of them are high-ticket items.
Cho is accused of using fraud, theft and forgery to secure big-ticket items, including a $650,000 Federal Way home. The house was on the market, but the owner was out of town.
"He was able to pay a certain amount of excise taxes and get his name on the deed. That was allegedly done with fraudulent checks," said Cathy Shrock of the Federal Way Police Department.
With the deed but no house keys, police say Cho actually called them demanding they help him get inside. Officers told him to call a locksmith.
"As he was waiting for locksmith to turn the locks over, the victim's daughter drove by checking on the home and saw he was inside," Schrock said.
Neighbor Mike Rutland noticed the commotion after the daughter called police.
"There was police here in the driveway, a car over here and a cop car in my friend's driveway, and there was just a bevy of activity going on over there," Rutland said.
Cho was arrested and released, but it took less than two weeks for police to catch up with him again.
"On March 13 we received a LoJack hit on a new Mercedes worth $84,000 near his residence," Shrock said.
Police seized the Mercedes and a 2013 Infinity, both of which were allegedly purchased with fraudulent checks. Investigators also say Cho scammed a Moneytree check cashing business out of $12,000.
Police are also investigating Cho's 16-year-old daughter.
"It is a concern to all of us and we want this fraud to stop," Schrock said.
Police have arrested the father, 53-year-old Steve Cho, for three other thefts, and all of them are high-ticket items.
Cho is accused of using fraud, theft and forgery to secure big-ticket items, including a $650,000 Federal Way home. The house was on the market, but the owner was out of town.
"He was able to pay a certain amount of excise taxes and get his name on the deed. That was allegedly done with fraudulent checks," said Cathy Shrock of the Federal Way Police Department.
With the deed but no house keys, police say Cho actually called them demanding they help him get inside. Officers told him to call a locksmith.
"As he was waiting for locksmith to turn the locks over, the victim's daughter drove by checking on the home and saw he was inside," Schrock said.
Neighbor Mike Rutland noticed the commotion after the daughter called police.
"There was police here in the driveway, a car over here and a cop car in my friend's driveway, and there was just a bevy of activity going on over there," Rutland said.
Cho was arrested and released, but it took less than two weeks for police to catch up with him again.
"On March 13 we received a LoJack hit on a new Mercedes worth $84,000 near his residence," Shrock said.
Police seized the Mercedes and a 2013 Infinity, both of which were allegedly purchased with fraudulent checks. Investigators also say Cho scammed a Moneytree check cashing business out of $12,000.
Police are also investigating Cho's 16-year-old daughter.
"It is a concern to all of us and we want this fraud to stop," Schrock said.
Sheesh I want to know what businesses are stupid enough to take a check for something as expensive as a CAR and not verify EVERYTHING but the Kitchen Sink! ...
If we put a bullet in these POS brain pans we would have one...I mean TWO less of them! - Worse I have had is credit card thief's... first one I ever get my hands on will get all my rage coming down on their head for the aggravation they and others liked them caused me...
These con-artists get off so easy what incentive is there to do things legally... because I can tell you POS like this make 'honesty is its own reward' sound like a thing for suckers as we all pay higher everything to cope for POS just like this!... and don't even get me started on shop lifters!
Sounds to me like there are those who are not doing their job properly. One would think it would take more than a bad check to get your name on the deed to a house.  There are any number of ways to find out if someone's name actually belongs on a legal document.Â
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@Lucy M. Baker LOL... A scam post in an article about scammers. It's a veritable scam-o-palooza!
I hope the daughter hasn't been too screwed up by this poor excuse of a father.Â
Sweet necklace. Cho-ker?
Amazing how stupid both people and businesses are. No one accepts a check until its been cleared. If you don't you get what you deserve.
Dang, does that guy look blitzed or what?
Doesnt seem very elaborate, sounds plain dumb, what do they think will happen after writing fake checks? They get to keep the house? strange.Â
Stealing Gangnam-style...
If he's a citizen, throw him in the clink. If he's not, throw him on a boat...a slow one.
@MikeCoomer It should be , if he's a citizen throw him in the clink. If he's not then throw him in the clink anyway and when he finishes his lengthy sentence put his backside on a boat a slow one.
If international criminals only have to be worried about being deported then they will be here in droves robbing us blind. oh wait, that's already happening.
@FKS @MikeCoomer They don't have to worry about being deported. That's the issue. They get amnesty and free stuff. Who would want to be a legal citizen? Why do we, the legal citizens of this country, get to pay for his 3 hots and a cot during his sentence? Let him be some other country's problem, we have far too many of our own.
Hello KAL? Yes, I'd like to make a First Class reservation for two to Seoul. Thanks, why yes I do have a credit card!
I like the part where he scammed Moneytree
@Insomniac Dreams I picked up on that too. Bet you that won't hurt him one bit if he ever has to stand before a judge for sentencing. They might nail him for the other stuff, but the MoneyTree thing would just be a gimme, three for the price of two.
What a total dou***b*g! He has a 16 your girl who he pulled into his lies and deceit, shes damaged because of this jerk I can only wonder what else he was doing to his daughter (getting her to steal, lie, who knows). I guess this guy isn't getting the "Father of the Year" award. I agree with "bagsofdirt"-- tattoo his forehead and send him on his way.Â
put a tattoo on his forehead and fly his butt home....do NOT spend our money on an investigation, do NOT spend our money on a trial, do NOT spend our money on incarceration....  Â
@bagsofdirt how do you know he's an immigrant or resident alien?
@todaysnews @bagsofdirt  ...or a U.S. citizen--albeit a crappy one.
Pain in the royal arse to get a home loan when you're a regular, honest person with a decent income. HOW do these people manage to do this? :o Â
@HadrianThey still give them out like candy - still lots of "rubberstamp" appraisals and loan apps out there.
@Hadrian It's actually easier than you think! I had an ex business partner do just that to me. She signed as my "agent" and the receiving party (A NO NO) on the real estate tax affidavit, told the Shohomish County treasurers office there was an error on an original quit claim deed (which was old and re-conveyed AND to a different house), and the lady at the treasurer's office bought it and put her on 1/2 of one of our houses. I just spent all last week fixing it. No joke! We only found out when we received our tax assessment and their names were on it.
The treasurer's employee was "so sorry" because they're "not supposed to allow the person who is the recipient of the transaction to be the agent". They went on to say, "This is why we don't do that." It was really surreal. I'm sure there could be legal action taken, but the $$$ is prohibitive.
They allowed her to sign as ME. And sign it over to HER. Without my knowledge. The treasurer's staff member told me that all she had to do was come in with a measly copy of a recorded deed that was forged! Not even an original or certified copy.
The new American dream: Â Claiming the property and money of others as your own.
@Sheridan Yep.... "Hope and Change" all the way to the bank.
@Sheridan He studied up on Manifest Destiny and took it and applied it literally.
Crap, this scumbag almost shares a name and city with me... hope there's no blowback.