Governor Hobbs Blocks Tougher Penalties for Fraudsters Who Victimize Arizonans with Deed Scams

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                           Friday, May 16, 2025

Governor Hobbs Blocks Tougher Penalties for Fraudsters

Who Victimize Arizonans with Deed Scams

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Majority Whip Frank Carroll is calling out Governor Hobbs for irresponsibly vetoing legislation aimed at deterring real estate fraudsters from victimizing unsuspecting Arizonans with deed scams.

SB 1310, sponsored by Majority Whip Carroll, would have increased the criminal penalty from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 4 felony for perpetrators who knowingly record false documents asserting an interest or lien against real property.

"Deed fraud, a growing real estate scam involving the illegal transfer of real property through falsified documents and stolen identities, will continue to rise following Governor Hobbs' haphazard veto of SB 1310," said Majority Whip Carroll. "In the veto letter, Hobbs blatantly misrepresents prior legislation for her reasoning behind the harmful veto, which states: 'I take the problem of home title fraud very seriously, it is why I signed SB 1110 in 2023 requiring counties to create a notification system for homeowners if a sale on their property was initiated.'  Unbeknownst to Hobbs, SB 1110 sponsored by Senator Wendy Rogers in 2023, creates an alert system for homeowners that notifies them AFTER a document has been recorded against their property, not upon initiation as Hobbs falsely claims. Senator Rogers had great intentions with SB 1110. The alert system she created provides awareness to property owners if their property has been stolen, however, it does not create a deterrent to help prevent these crimes from occurring. SB 1310 would have made criminals think twice before scamming innocent Arizonans out of their homes. The current law gives criminals a slap on the wrist with a class 1 misdemeanor for fraudulent real estate filings, essentially welcoming fraudsters to come to Arizona and make millions with little to no repercussions. This crime has devastated thousands of Arizonans with stolen identities and costly legal battles during 'quiet title action' suits to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. This veto was shameful and designates Arizona as one of the few states left in the nation that has not implemented stricter laws to prevent and decrease the devastating effects of this crime. The governor's veto proves yet again, her support lies with criminals over the taxpaying citizens of this state. She should truly be ashamed of herself."  

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov