An officer at a Liberty City mosque was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for his role in a housing scam that stole homes from the elderly -- and even from dead people.

Sameer Muhammad, the vice president of Muhammad Mosque No. 29 at 5600 NW Seventh Ave., was convicted earlier this year of nine counts of grand theft, forgery, identity theft and using false identification.

A codefendant was convicted last year.

''These individuals represent the worst in our society because they prey on those that are most disadvantaged,'' said Miami-Dade Inspector General Chris Mazzella, whose office investigated the case.

Investigators say Muhammad, 51, and a partner, Carolyn A. Murphy, targeted elderly residents who had liens on their homes.

Murphy would file fraudulent deeds showing herself as the owner of the home, and Muhammad would then sell the homes through his real estate investment company, Bar None Properties Inc.

In one case, investigators found a deed a couple purportedly signed, transferring their home to Murphy years after they had died.

Murphy pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to three years in prison in exchange for her agreement to testify against Muhammad.

In addition to the prison term, Circuit Judge Bertila Soto sentenced Muhammad to 10 years probation and ordered him to pay $300,000 in restitution and $22,500 for the costs of investigating and prosecuting him.

Muhammad is listed in corporate records as the vice president of the Liberty City mosque.

The minister of the mosque, Rasul Mohammad, no relation to Sameer Muhammad, expressed regret for the turn Sameer Muhammad's life had taken.

He said Sameer Muhammad was homeless when he joined the mosque back in 1995 and over the following decade had put his life in order, opening his own real estate business.

''It's really a success story that turned tragic by a flaw in his own character,'' Rasul Muhammad said.

''I still stand behind this man and his family regardless of what he has done,'' he added.

``We are in the business of trying to redeem human beings.''

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