Prepared by: Jake Arthur, Public Information Officer
Email: PIO@flaglersheriff.com
Release #: 2026 – 243
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Melissa Jester, 41, of Bunnell after an investigation determined she used forged property deeds to steal ownership of three vacant lots in Palm Coast and then sold one of them for nearly $30,000.
On Aug. 27, the victim reported to the Sheriff’s Office that property deeds to three vacant lots she had owned in Palm Coast for about 20 years had been transferred to someone else without her authorization.
LEFT: Melissa Jester is arrested by FCSO deputies, RIGHT: Melissa Jester (Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility mugshot)
FCSO General Assignment Unit detectives determined that on June 29, 2026 deed transfer paperwork was mailed to the Flagler County Clerk of Courts, transferring all three lots to Florida Ohana Homes LLC, a company owned by Jester. The victim’s signature on the deed had been forged.
Jester paid the filing fees with a money order she purchased on June 18 under a different name at an Amscot automated teller on Palm Coast Parkway, which does not require identification.
On Sept. 10, Jester, as the company’s managing member, sold one of the lots to an unsuspecting buyer. Surveillance video from the UPS Store on Belle Terre Parkway captured Jester signing the warranty deed and having it notarized. The title company then wired $29,970 from the sale to the company’s Bank of America account.
Jester later transferred $8,000 from the company account to her personal VyStar Credit Union account, where the money was spent on hotel stays and purchases around Flagler County.
Detectives seized more than $14,000 from the company’s Bank of America account and more than $6,000 from Jester’s VyStar account, the remaining balance in each account. In total, more than $20,000 was recovered.
“Most of the deed fraud we see is run by scammers hiding in another state or another country. This one lived in Bunnell and signed the closing papers in front of a security camera in Palm Coast,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Our detectives followed the trail of forgeries and money and recovered most of it for the victim.”
On Friday, Nov. 6, the FCSO Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit (PACE), with assistance from the FCSO Real Time Crime Center, located Jester driving in Bunnell. The FCSO Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested her on a warrant for grand theft and obtaining property worth $20,000 to $50,000 by swindle. She was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where she is being held on a $45,000 bond.
The Flagler County Clerk of Court offers a free recording activity notification service that alerts subscribers when a document is recorded in their name in Flagler County’s official records. The alert does not stop a fraudulent filing, but it gives owners an early warning so they can act quickly. Local property owners, including those that may live outside Flagler County but own property in Flagler County, can sign up for this free service at https://records.flaglerclerk.gov/FraudAlert.
