ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Melissa Sannes and her husband purchased their metro Atlanta home in 2021. But three years ago, the name of Angela Spradley showed up as a “grantee” on a deed transfer, thus making Spradley a co-owner of the house.

Sannes has never heard of Angela Spradley, who is now serving a five-year prison sentence on charges of theft by deception, forgery and filing false documents related to five Bibb County, Georgia, properties. Prosecutors called her efforts a “deed scheme.”

A deed transfer shows an LLC transferred ownership of the Sannes’ house to Spradley. Sannes said the document is fraudulent; what’s more, an LLC never owned the Sannes’ house in the first place.

“It’s absolutely shocking,” Sannes said. “We are trained to think we’ve got to hold our purses close when we’re walking through a parking lot or not leave keys in our car.

“But you never think someone’s going to come in and not just rob you of the things inside your home, but try to steal your actual home.”

The document was filed and recorded in the Fulton County Clerk’s Office in 2022. Around that time, multiple other deeds transferred various Atlanta homes to Spradley.

Other metro Atlanta families are now accusing Spradley of forging ownership records for their homes.

Up until 2025, Georgia had a loophole in state law that was exposed by a series of Atlanta News First investigations entitled Stolen Home.

Previously, Georgia law did not require identification when filing or transferring a deed; thus, the state did not require anyone to actually prove they own the property for the paperwork which they’re filing.

Spradley’s conviction comes as families have been forced to pursue their own deed fraud cases through civil, instead of a criminal, processes.

“If you do this in our community, you’re going to be held accountable,” said Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard, who credited Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Johnson.

“It was my first case like this in the office,” Johnson said. “That’s one of the reasons why I dove so deep into it. It was interesting to me.

“I didn’t realize it was so easy in that situation for something like this to happen.”

Spradley’s indictment outlined how she forged deed transfers on at least five Macon properties, one involving a couple that left their residence for an extended period of time only to see it boarded up when they returned. The home was even put up for sale on Realtor.com.

“[Spradley] actually took the deeds into the clerk’s office and filed them on the same day,” Johnson said, adding Spradley - who pled guilty in the case - sold at least three properties for $7,500 each.

“Your home is your safe haven,” Sannes said. “You never think someone’s going to come along and try to take your actual home away from you.”

Atlanta News First Investigates contacted the Fulton District Attorney’s office about Spradley’s alleged local forgeries but have not heard back.

Georgia offers a property fraud registry where you can sign up your home. It doesn’t stop fraud, but alerts you anytime paperwork is filed on your home.

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