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KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. — Klamath County prosecutors say felony charges have been brought against a mother and daughter who allegedly falsified a will to collect an estate worth $2 million.
Daughter of the Deceased Woman Fights Claim
Their claim has been fought by the daughter of the deceased, Cathy Gerlett, who died suddenly on February 9, 2023.
The mother-and-daughter team of Renee and Kristine Pereira now faces charges of attempted aggravated theft, forgery, identity theft, and other computer crimes.
Both women pleaded not guilty at their court appearance at the end of October.
The daughter of the deceased woman, Kristy Gerlett, has been investigating the case ever since her mother’s death and pleading with law enforcers to charge the women she suspected of forging signatures on her mother’s will.
Kristy was excluded from the will, which allocates 80% of the estate to Kristine Pereira.
The indictment accuses the woman of forging Cathy Gerlett’s signature, the signatures of two witnesses, and the notary’s signature and seal.
According to court records, Renee Pereira filed the will in probate court in April last year, two months after the death of Cathy Gerlett.
District Attorney Says the Crime Was Premeditated
At Kristine Perreira’s arraignment, Klamath County DA David Schutt described the case as a ‘premeditated and coordinated effort’ by mother and daughter to steal an estate worth more than $2 million.
Kristy Gerlett is pressing for additional criminal charges involving the use of her mother’s credit card after her death. The card was used to buy gift vouchers worth $2,000, hotel accommodation, and a trip to a casino.
Kristy Gerlett filed a lawsuit contesting the will in June 2023 after discovering that the two witnesses and notary whose signatures appear on the will swore under oath that they never signed the document.
In a separate declaration, a handwriting expert testified that the deceased woman’s signature on the will was also falsified. He said her signature was probably copied from her original will dated 2018, in which the woman left 25% of her estate to her daughter, Kristy.
According to court records, an unknown person advertised an estate sale in August 2023, at which family heirlooms were sold.
A judge subsequently froze the estate and dismissed the 2022 will. He also removed the executor of the estate.
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