Man charged with defrauding grieving Broward family out of $1 million home

Two months after a father of four died, a man filed a fake deed in his name to take ownership of his $1 million Pembroke Pines home, officials say. He is now facing felony charges.

Armando Porto Del Sol, of Miami Gardens, was arrested Thursday in Miami and charged with multiple felonies: grand theft in the first degree, fraudulent use of personal identification information, criminal use of deceased personal identification information and unlawful filing of false documents, according to the Broward Property Appraiser. The arrest came after a combined effort between the Property Appraiser’s Office, the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office.

Timothy Stark, 49, died unexpectedly in August 2024, survived by his wife and four young children, the property appraiser’s office said in a news release. He had bought a home in the 13000 block of Northwest 10th Court in 2009, which he left to his grieving family, though they weren’t residing there at the time.

In October, two months after his death, the property appraiser’s office received a deed transferring the property from Stark to Del Sol, a man the family had never met before.

When employees in the data entry department of the property appraiser’s office started processing the deed, they realized that Stark could not possibly have signed the document after his own death, according to Broward Property Appraiser Mary Kiar.

“The comprehensive work performed by the BCPA’s Data Entry Department in identifying
discrepancies in the deed saved a family during a tragic time from financial loss and hardship,” the release said.

A criminal investigation began. Investigators obtained footage that showed Del Sol filing the notarized deed himself at the Broward Recording Division, according to the release. Meanwhile, the notary whose name and stamp were on the deed later told investigators that he had never notarized it.

On Thursday, months after the deed was filed, police arrested Del Sol in Miami. He will be extradited to Broward County to face the felony charges.

“A grieving family that loses a loved one should never be defrauded and subjected to more heartbreak,” Kiar said in a statement. “I am just glad that this arrest will help bring them some comfort during this challenging time in their lives.”

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.