Texas Man Moshe Levi Agrees to Plead Guilty in $1.5 Million Scheme to Impersonate Landowners and Sell Their Property

Published Oct. 22, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

If you own a vacant lot in another state, with no mortgage on it, you may never think about it from one year to the next. Federal prosecutors say that is exactly the kind of property a group of alleged fraudsters hunted for. They would then pose as the owner, list the land with real estate professionals, sell it to an unsuspecting buyer and launder the money.

On Oct. 20, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that Moshe Levi of Carrollton, Texas, has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy [1]. Prosecutors say the scheme involved more than $1.5 million in fraudulent property sales in Massachusetts, Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee.

Important: Levi has agreed to plead guilty but has not yet entered a plea. "A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court," prosecutors said. Until a court accepts a plea, he is presumed innocent, and his co-defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty [1].

Status: Charged by criminal complaint in July 2026; plea agreement announced Oct. 20; plea hearing not yet scheduled (status pending).

Who is charged

Levi and two co-defendants were arrested on July 16, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office [2]:

• Moshe Levi, of Carrollton, Texas, charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. He was detained after an initial appearance in Kansas City, Missouri. (The July release gave his age as 57; the October release gives it as 61.)
• Kyon James, 44, of Middleboro, Massachusetts, charged with money laundering conspiracy. He was released on conditions after his initial appearance in Boston.
• A third man, 41, of Somerset, New Jersey, also charged with money laundering conspiracy and released on conditions. The July release spells his surname two different ways, so we are not naming him until we can confirm the correct spelling.

How the scheme allegedly worked

According to the charging documents, as summarized by prosecutors [1][2]:

1. Pick the target. Levi and others identified "vacant and unencumbered real properties" in four states owned by people who lived out of state.
2. Become the owner. They set up email and internet phone accounts and obtained fake IDs, including driver's licenses and passports, in the real owners' names.
3. Use real professionals. Posing as the owners, they tricked "real estate professionals into listing and negotiating the sale of the properties and deeding the properties to unsuspecting buyers in exchange for payment."
4. Move the money. Sale proceeds were moved by check and wire through individual and corporate bank accounts to hide where the money came from and who controlled it.

Since about June 2023, prosecutors say, Levi and others shared or tried to share about $1.5 million in illegal proceeds [1].

What the FBI affidavit describes

Atlanta's 11Alive reviewed a 22-page FBI affidavit filed in the case. According to that report [3]:

• In an August 2023 WhatsApp conversation, Levi allegedly described the method: "After getting a vacant land, get info about owner, his address, amount purchased, tax history, etc," followed by "Then you create an email and register a google voice number" and "Then act as owner."
• In an April 2024 sale of a Savannah, Georgia, property, an impostor allegedly dealt remotely with the buyer's attorney. About $69,245.13 in proceeds went to a Massachusetts account controlled by Kyon James, and $65,600 was moved to an account belonging to Levi the next day, the affidavit says.
• Levi allegedly messaged James: "Bro time is of the essence funds must be moved out asap."
• In February 2024, a Tennessee owner learned someone was trying to sell their property in Bristol and called the impostor while pretending to be a notary. According to the affidavit, the person who answered identified himself as Levi before saying he was the owner. Levi was then arrested in Frisco, Texas, on suspicion of identity fraud. Investigators say the conspiracy kept going anyway.
• In a Massachusetts sale, the impostor's driver's license and passport carried the same photo. An insurance company later flagged that as a possible sign of fraud.

These details are allegations in an affidavit, as reported by 11Alive. They have not been tested in court.

Red flags

For property owners:

• Vacant, mortgage-free land owned by someone who lives far away is the profile prosecutors describe.
• Unexpected mail, calls or offers about a sale you never started.

For buyers, agents and closing attorneys:

• A seller who will only communicate by email, text or internet phone and never meets in person.
• A seller pushing for a fast, all-cash closing on vacant land.
• ID documents that can't be independently verified, or a passport and license with the same photo.
• Instructions to wire proceeds to an account that doesn't match the owner's name.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Check your county's property records periodically for deeds or filings you didn't authorize. Many counties offer free property-fraud alert services; ask your county recorder or register of deeds.
2. Keep your contact information current with the tax assessor so notices reach you.
3. If you're selling or buying, verify the seller's identity through a channel the seller didn't provide, such as a known phone number or an in-person meeting.
4. If your property was sold without your consent, contact local police, the county recorder and a real estate attorney right away, and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov [4].

Case status (as of Oct. 22, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 22, 2026	Source
Moshe Levi, Carrollton, Texas	U.S. District Court, D. Mass.	Charged by complaint July 2026 (wire fraud conspiracy; money laundering conspiracy); arrested July 16 and detained; agreed to plead guilty (announced Oct. 20, 2026); plea hearing not yet scheduled; presumed innocent until plea is entered and accepted	[1][2]
Kyon James, 44, Middleboro, Mass.	U.S. District Court, D. Mass.	Charged by complaint July 2026 (money laundering conspiracy); released on conditions; further status not confirmed (status pending); presumed innocent	[2]
Third co-defendant, 41, Somerset, N.J. (name withheld pending spelling confirmation)	U.S. District Court, D. Mass.	Charged by complaint July 2026 (money laundering conspiracy); released on conditions; status pending; presumed innocent	[2]

Statuses can change. Those not convicted are presumed innocent.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, "Texas Man to Plead Guilty to Role in $1.5 Million Deed Fraud and Money Laundering Schemes," Oct. 20, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/texas-man-plead-guilty-role-15-million-deed-fraud-and-money-laundering-schemes
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, "Three Men Charged in $1.5 Million Deed Fraud and Money Laundering Schemes," July 23, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/three-men-charged-15-million-deed-fraud-and-money-laundering-schemes
3. Savannah Levins, 11Alive (WXIA), "Texas man to plead guilty in $1.5M property fraud scheme involving Georgia land, FBI documents reveal how it worked," Oct. 21, 2026. https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/11alive-news-investigates/texas-man-plead-guilty-15-million-dollar-property-fraud-scheme-georgia-land-fbi-documents-reveal-how-it-worked/85-0fc39659-fb0b-49d9-8e26-1b5f55d29c5c
4. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (accessed Oct. 22, 2026). https://www.ic3.gov/

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