Prosecutors say forged probate and financial records were used to claim more than $2.2 million in money, vehicles and property.
HOUSTON, TX — A Houston funeral home operator has been released on an $800,000 bond while facing five felony charges tied to an alleged scheme to take control of a deceased client’s estate through forged documents.
Unique Mica Green-Battle, 47, appeared in court Friday after being charged with theft of more than $300,000 and four counts of forgery. A judge ordered Green-Battle to stay out of the funeral industry while the criminal case proceeds, according to local reports citing Harris County court records.
Investigators allege Green-Battle claimed to be the surviving spouse of Lawrence Gammon, a 78-year-old Houston man who died in June 2025. Gammon’s relatives had contacted A Community Funeral Home, operated by Green-Battle, to arrange funeral services and provided personal information needed to handle his remains.
Court records cited by Houston news organizations say Green-Battle opened a probate case within weeks of Gammon’s death and submitted a will naming Green-Battle as his spouse and heir. Investigators allege the document was backdated, contained an incorrect birth year and included forged versions of Gammon’s signature and a notary seal.
Authorities say Green-Battle also used a falsified death certificate to gain access to Gammon’s financial accounts. About $2 million was allegedly transferred into a newly opened account bearing the name of Gammon’s estate. Investigators said the property involved in the case also included Gammon’s home and three vehicles, bringing the total estimated value to more than $2.2 million.
Adam Brodrick, chief of consumer fraud at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, told KPRC that investigators found no relationship between Green-Battle and Gammon before his death. An attorney involved in the related probate dispute previously said Green-Battle maintained a right to the estate but did not explain the claimed connection.
Green-Battle denied wrongdoing in a statement issued through an attorney before the felony charges were filed. The statement said the evidence would show Green-Battle had acted lawfully and expected to be vindicated after receiving an opportunity to present the case in court.
The estate investigation followed a November 2025 police search of A Community Funeral Home on Wheeler Avenue in Houston’s Third Ward. Officers removed dozens of boxes containing cremated remains, including remains identified in court documents as Gammon’s. Some families told investigators they had been waiting years to receive their relatives’ remains.
Investigators have also accused Green-Battle of using another Houston funeral business’s identity and submitting false documents to the Texas Funeral Service Commission. Court records say the filings included false claims about military service and forged authorization from a former funeral home employee. Texas requires funeral establishments and people providing funeral services for compensation to hold appropriate state licenses.
The charges remain allegations, and Green-Battle has not been convicted in the estate case. The bond conditions bar Green-Battle from working in the funeral business as prosecutors continue pursuing the theft and forgery charges. A date for the next major court proceeding was not immediately available.
Author note: Last updated August 1, 2026.