ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – An accused scam artist is in custody for allegedly stealing people’s homes out from under them over the last 11 months.
According to the St. Louis County Police Department’s probable cause statement, James Townes Jr. (age not provided) filed multiple fraudulent quitclaim deeds at the Recorder of Deeds’ Office on four different homes.
State law requires documents like a quitclaim deed to be notarized. In Townes’ case, police said he would pose as a notary and get the deeds notarized, only to return to the Record of Deeds’ Office days or weeks later to file the documentation, which included forged signatures of previous property owners. The homes would then be transferred to Townes’ company, Tied Tight Entertainment LLC.
The quitclaim deeds were filed for the following properties:
- June 21, 2024: 6071 Silver Fox Drive in Old Jamestown
- Dec. 4, 2024: 14389 Wild Fox Court in Old Jamestown
- Dec. 9, 2024: 1615 Derhake Road in Florissant
- March 25, 2025: 10370 Renfrew Drive in Glasgow Village
Police said Townes has had an ongoing theft scheme since 2021.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Townes with four counts of stealing – $25,000 or more, four counts of possession of a forging instrument, and four counts of acting as or impersonating a notary. Townes remains jailed on a $100,000 cash-only bond. Online records did not show a future court date.