FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2026
PITTSBURGH — William Schneider, 45, and William Petruskie, 57, both of Pittsburgh, are facing numerous felony charges for an alleged conspiracy involving forged property deeds. Schneider is charged with 86 counts of forgery, 35 counts of theft, 8 counts of criminal attempt and criminal conspiracy. Petruskie’s charges include 10 counts of theft and criminal conspiracy.
According to the criminal complaint, Schneider allegedly submitted fraudulent deed transfers for 43 separate properties in Allegheny County, using counterfeit notary stamps purchased from Amazon. The submissions for deed transfers all have in common that they were sent in a large manila envelope without a return address, reportedly purchased for $1,000, used legitimate notaries with altered seals and were submitted with Western Union money orders from the same location, which investigators found were purchased by Schneider.
Petruskie allegedly created a Limited Liability Company (LLC) under Schneider’s direction to be listed on 10 of the 43 forged property deeds.
An accused is presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.
Individuals who believe they may have property transferred out of their name without their knowledge or consent should contact the District Attorney’s Investigations Unit at 412-388-5300.
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The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office serves approximately 1.2 million people and is one of the largest jurisdictions in the United States of America at 740 sq. miles. It employs over 200 employees, including over 100 attorneys, detectives, crime scene analysts and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office serves as the Chief Law Enforcement Office of the county and accepts referrals from more than 100 active police departments, including the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Allegheny County Police Department and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department. For more information, visit alleghenycountyda.us.
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Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office