Former Elk Grove Council Member Leary Accused Of Cheating Ex-Girlfriend, Filing Altered Real Estate Document

Former Elk Grove council member Mike Leary was arrested yesterday morning on four counts of real estate fraud and forgery involving a scheme to allegedly cheat his former girlfriend.

Leary, a lieutenant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department has been placed on paid administrative lead according to a spokesperson. Leary was arrested, booked and released on a $15,000 bond Friday morning.

According to court documents, Leary is accused of seeking to defraud his former girlfriend, Alyc Maselli, out of her portion of a house they purchased jointly in 2006.

The complaint says the couple bought the house on 3301 Marina Cove Circle in Elk Grove and the original deed had only Leary’s name on it. The couple agreed after the house was purchased, Leary would deed an equal portion to Maselli.

Subsequent to Maselli’s name being added to the deed, Leary allegedly recorded an altered document in hand writing to show he owned a 90 percent portion of the property without informing Maselli. Leary reportedly supplied Maselli with a copy showing equal ownership.

By February of 2009 the couple had ended their relationship and Maselli had fallen behind on the mortgage payment when Leary sought her eviction. Maselli sought legal advise at the time and discovered the altered recorded documents.

The matter was brought to the attention of the district attorney's office who initiated the investigation.

In a story from the Sacramento Bee, Leary's attorney William J. Portanova said the case was as a result of a misunderstanding with an unsophisticated property owner. Maselli had been employed as a branch manager for North American Title Company.