From what I've read and hear (no personal experience, thank God), the scam usually involves not just corrupt officials and a criminally minded seller but apparently almost always a corrupt buyer's lawyer siding with the seller.
The first step, for a conned buyer, would thus seem to drop that lawyer and seek a reputable lawyer, knowledgeable, willing and capable to take on the system. I think that can be found here. There may be few cases where this will be extremely difficult when it involves going after high ranking government officials. But then, deals at that level are seldom and would also have required a more prepared heavier "investor".
As others pointed out, it's not just a typical North Coast phenomenon. There was a time not too long ago, where there was something similar to almost an "industry" of people picking up new "investors" and showing them around by helicopter and treating them to meals and nights in luxury hotels. Some were were even out of Santo Domingo and had ties to government officials. But these were "big" deals... for miles of coconut tree lined virgin beaches. Interestingly enough, even most shoe shine boys would know what was going on, and that these choppers were carrying "palomos" who were going to again "buy" some land and get stripped of all their cash.
Smaller deals, like homes and lots, seem to now have become quite safe to transact, as long as buyers lawyer up seriously from the get go on and do listen to their lawyer, even on the evil North Coast.
OP, seek a reputable, well connected and in the matter knowledgeable law firm with a good and long history and expose your case to them. Tell them EVERYTHING. Most cons involve the conned. In other words, the mark is usually manipulated in doing or not doing quite elementary things which at the end of the day, can make the conned look stupid... tell everything to your lawyer. Unless you are prepared to follow Hillbilly's suggestion, that's the only way I see.
Con artists also thrive in part from their supposition that once the mark is "finished" they generally will give up or continue doing things the wrong way. So, reorganizing yourself would be your first edge against them.
... J-D.
