Ripped off by administrator, What would you do..?

[happee]

I will keep this short else will become very long winded, so instead will just bullet point list of events -

July 2018 - My father dies suddenly, survived by his wife and three sons

July 2018 - His Estate was valued at £1,613,749

March 2019 - The wife calls a meeting with the three sons to distribute the estate according to will.

April 2019 - I requested a copy of my late fathers will as disagreed, but request denied.

May 2019 - Wife (administrator) obtains Grant of Probate, which is not sealed by the court?

June 2019 - At this point I find out my father died intestate, and confront the administrator.

August 2021 - Administrator gives me a fraudulently signed copy of a "Deed of Variation"

August 2021 - Administrator (Wife) refuses to speak or deal with me.

To Date / August 2023:

Its now over five years since my father died, the estate has not been distributed?

I now know the administrator and one other beneficiary have acted dishonestly and I have no idea of the best way forward... only two people knew my father had died intestate and that was my mother and middle brother and between them they have...

Sold 90% of the estates assets totaling tens of thousands of pounds.

Took a mortgage out against the estate in my late fathers name to purchase £400,000 of property.

Said mortgage is being paid monthly via a bank account in my late fathers name.

All of the bank accounts of my late father are still open.

An overdraft of £60,000 has been taken out against the estate in my late fathers name.

The valuation of the Estate submitted to the HMRC is massively undervalued.

All in all its a complete mess.. I have a solicitor dealing with this but its taking on average 3-4 months to get a reply to the simplest of questions.

He is now at the opinion that to save on costs which could run to well over £100,000 should we dispute the Deed of Variation and knowing what we now know we should use this information to negotiate over the fraudulent Deed of Variation so as to obtain an outcome in my favour.

But feel I can't just sit back and let two members of my own family get away with this scale of dishonestly.. and even if we do negotiate what happens if this all comes back to bite the administrator on the ass, will it then effect or drag me into the whole mess.

What would you do...?

[Pezza54]

When your father died intestate, as his son, you should have inherited a share of his estate, not an insignificant sum.
If the administrator fraudulently copied your signature (your agreement would have been required) for the deed of variation, that is a crime.
Taking out a mortgage, overdraft etc in your late father's name, that is illegal
Deliberately under valuing his estate to reduce IHT, another crime.
I am surprised your solicitor hasn't reported this to the fraud squad. Is it possible that your solicitor, realising he or she should have contacted the fraud

[atticus]

You will need specialist advice and assistance. I suspect that you would need to take the Administrator to court seeking orders that she account for her dealings with the estate and make appropriate payments to you... as previously advised.