A Fort Worth man claims he has been forced out of his home of nearly 20 years after he says he unknowingly signed away ownership.
Hoang Nguyen is a 72-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, who doesn't really read English. His family said he's also been mentally unstable ever since he fell from a ladder eight years ago. It's a combination they believe made him an easy target.
Wednesday, under the watchful eyes of police, Nguyen and his daughters packed up two decades worth of memories in just four hours. It was the end of a months-long fight to stay in a home they believe should be rightfully his.
It all started in May when Nguyen said he met a woman at a code compliance hearing where he faced thousands of dollars in fines for a messy lawn.
The next day, he said she showed up at his front door to offer help.
"She asked me to sign a paper that my children would not complain that she cleaned the house and did a good thing for me. And I signed it. I didn't know what it was about," Hoang Nguyen said.
But instead of a contract to clean, what Nguyen really signed was a legal document clearly stating it was a quitclaim deed. His signature released his home, valued at $181,000, to Armentha and Ebrima Faye for just $5,100.
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It's money Nguyen claims he never got.
Since then, he's been evicted. But he refused to leave for several months, until police arrived Wednesday.
Though he and his friends and family have called Fort Worth police, law enforcement said there's nothing they can do. They said the case is a civil matter.
And until he finds money for a lawyer, Nguyen said his only option is to say goodbye.
Armentha Faye declined an interview, but told NBC 5 she denied the claims and didn't force anyone to sign anything.
