John S. Walker, a self-described Pennsylvania "abstractor" who filed false deeds purporting to grant gas, oil and mineral rights to himself on numerous parcels that he did not own, has pled guilty to multiple felony counts in a plea agreement.

Walker, 59, of Dubois, Pennsylvania, pled guilty last month to 33 counts of theft, two counts of making false records, and one count of attempted theft-- all third-degree felonies.  He was sentenced to one year of house arrest and ten years of probation. 

Motivated by his desire to get rich quick from the gas boom in Pennsylvania, Walker filed a quit claim deed in 2008 granting himself a 40% interest in mining and extraction rights on a 2,765 acre tract in Clearfield County in an area with valuable natural gas resources. He then then deeded the interest to his wife.  Unfortunately, Walker had no surface interest in the tract when he deeded the interest to himself, and no right or authority to take the interest.

Walker apparently never came close to getting any money from gas companies from his scheme-- at least not on the parcel that led to his arrest.  In 2008, a gas company sought to obtain oil and gas rights on land owned by an estate which included three parcels which had been targeted by Walker in his false filings. A title attorney, hired by the gas company to do a title search on the property, found Walker's suspicious deeds to be affecting the title of the parcels and filed a quiet title action.  When Walker was contacted as part of that action, he gave up his interest in that parcel immediately. 

When police contacted Walker about the suspicious deeds, he claimed that he had  filed the deeds after seeking the advice of oil and gas companies. He admitted he had made a mistake in filing the deeds, but claimed that he has gained nothing so far from his interest in the property. 

However Walker still believed he "had the potential to make $9 million" on the scheme, which Walker admitted involved similar deeds on other properties.  When pressed by authorities, Walker offered to file quit claim deeds rescinding his fraudulent interests, apparently believing that this would bring the matter to a close without further consequences to himself.

During his probation, Walker is barred from entering the Clearfield County Courthouse or filing any gas leases without court approval.  In addition, Walker must pay $25,000 in restitution to his victims, and take action to correct any problems in the public record created by his fraudulent filings.

A search of the Source of Title business directory revealed no listed abstractor by the name of John Walker.