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OGDEN — A northern Utah man accused of falsifying his deceased wife's will to give himself property and other assets is facing criminal charges.
Jody Allen Rhorer, 43, of Eden, Weber County, was charged Monday in 2nd District Court with computer crimes interfering with critical infrastructure, a second-degree felony; plus two counts of fraudulent handling of recordable writings and two counts of recording a false or forged instrument, both third-degree felonies.
According to charging documents, Rhorer was married to Deone Ehlers-Rhorer, 54, who died on Aug. 22. Ehlers-Rhorer was the owner of Lady Bug Realty in Ogden.
In November, Rhorer used Ehlers-Rhorer's login and password information and assigned himself through the Utah Department of Commerce as the principal agent of the property management group, Four Boys Investments LLC, the charging documents state.
"Jody was not registered with the business prior to Deone's death, and he signed the document via an electronic signature claiming to be Deone herself. By doing so, he then transferred ownership of multiple properties into his own name," the charges state.
In Ehlers-Rhorer's will, she named her son as executor, "and this son was assigned as Deone's only personal representative," according to the charges.
"Mr. Rhorer vehemently denies the accusations contained in the criminal charges filed against him on Monday, Dec. 28," attorney Jonathan D. Porter said in a statement. "There have been allegations in the press that Mr. Rhorer divorced Ms. Deone Ehlers-Rhorer in 2013; this is completely baseless and false. The couple was married until her tragic passing in August of this year." He added that Jody Rhorer was "a faithful and committed spouse."
On Dec. 16, Rhorer "filed a new will for Deone with the 2nd District Court, which gave him the sole rights to all property and assets. However, after further investigation, it was discovered Deone's signatures had been forged, as well as the notary public signature and stamp used to pass the document as authentic," according to the charges.
"Through the computer fraud, forgery and the filing of a false will, Jody attempted to transfer property and assets to himself while deceiving and depriving victims of those assets. Additionally, during his booking, Jody stated he has four dependents and no income, which is false. Jody owns a construction business, lives alone in a home worth over $1 million," the charges state.
Prosecutors also noted in the court documents that Rhorer "has a history of engaging in threatening behavior" and have asked that he be held in the Weber County Jail without bail.
"Mr. Rhorer is confident that, over time, the evidence will prove that the charges lodged against him are meritless," Porter said.
Correction: An earlier version said Jody Rhorer and Deone Rhorer divorced in 2013, but the divorce was to a different woman.
