Woman forges husband's signature, blames agent

Here's a weird story: A Bethlehem, Connecticut woman has been charged with second degree forgery for allegedly forging her husband's name on a power-of-attorney document in 2006 in order to sell the couple's home to a woman from Boston.

The RepublicanAmerican and The Register Citizen have more details, but 55-year old Shelley Ciriello pleaded not guilty to the charges. It seems that a mortgage broker of some kind was involved in the deal and may have urged her to complete the transaction -- his company was subsequently shut down by the State of Massachusetts for falsifying loan documents and offering shady loans. Ms. Ciriello told police that she followed the advice of the agent and signed her husband's name.

But that wasn't enough to let her avoid prosecution. Will that be enough to save Mrs. Ciriello from a criminal record?

Perhaps not. Forging people's signatures is always illegal and if a banker, real estate agent, or other financial services worker ever suggests you do that, here's what you should do: Fire the person immediately, find someone from a different company, and report the conduct to the person's employer as well as state regulators and the police.