A 26-year-old man, Nathan Lucas Underwood, has been arrested and charged with burglary, identity theft, and fraud for allegedly attempting to sell a $1.6 million condominium in Scottsdale, Arizona, that he did not own. The condo's rightful owners are a Nebraska man, also named Nathan Underwood, and his business partner, Farhan Khan.
According to police, the younger Underwood obtained a spare key to the luxury unit from the building concierge on April 17 by presenting a forged ID that matched the owner's name on file. He then contacted a realtor, reportedly seeking to sell the property quickly for $1.3 million, significantly below its market value of at least $1.6 million. During the selling process, Underwood allegedly presented a fabricated story about acquiring the unit through an LLC, which investigators believe was an attempt to mimic the owner's company, Zella Inc. He had registered a company named Zella LLC in Arizona on March 2.
The scheme began to unravel when the legitimate owner was alerted by his cleaning crew's inability to access the unit due to the missing spare key on April 20. He subsequently received a fraud-prevention notice from a title company indicating an attempt to sell the condo. Upon flying to Arizona, the owner discovered the unit had been burglarized and reported the incident to the police.
Underwood was arrested on July 27 outside a Bank of America branch. Police found a meth pipe in his possession at the time of his arrest. During interviews, he reportedly made rambling statements about conspiracies and acknowledged that his actions might appear fraudulent. His bond was set at $10,000, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 6.
This incident is not Underwood's only recent legal trouble. Three months prior to this arrest, he was taken into custody in Phoenix for an alleged aggravated assault involving a firearm, after reportedly pointing a gun at a man attempting to repossess his vehicle. Court records indicate he was released to a psychiatric facility following that arrest.
Authorities also allege that Underwood stole approximately $14,000 worth of clothing and decorative items from within the condo.