TYLER, Texas (KETK) – A Tyler woman allegedly lied about having more than $110 million to buy a home, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KETK News.
27-year-old Mary Strobel is charged with forgery for greater than $300,000, a first-degree felony in Texas. She also was facing an illegal firearm possession charge from Bossier City, Louisiana.
The warrant stated that a Tyler home was listed for $1.2 million and that Strobel and another man, who has yet to be charged, approached a realtor to buy the property.
The documents say that Strobel met with the seller and agreed to a $1.1 million contract for the purchase. Strobel also agreed to put down $10,000 cash in earnest money.
According to the warrant, Strobel and the other man provided “proof of funds” documents that showed she had more than $110.3 million in a single account at a Tyler bank. Strobel allegedly told them she inherited the money after several deaths in her family.
The earnest money was reportedly never received by the title company and the sellers contacted the bank listed in the proof of funds document. A manager at the branch said that “there is not an amount relevantly close to the $110 million that they claimed on the fraudulent form.” The manager also said that his own signature on the form was forged, according to the warrant.
An investigator with Tyler police contacted Strobel and the warrant states that she answered questions with “complete dishonesty” and he decided to end the interview since “she kept lying about every question…”
Strobel claimed to the investigator that she and the other man had decided not to purchase the home, but the warrant states that the title company and realtor sent a termination letter to them after the fraudulent forms were discovered.
The documents also state that she lied on multiple occasions about being pregnant with triplets or quadruplets, depending on whom she was speaking to. The realtor told police that Strobel never appeared pregnant in the four or five months she dealt with her.
Strobel has been released on a $100,000 bond. If convicted, she would face between 5-99 years behind bars.
