Outgoing Tenant On Verge Of Eviction Cops Plea To Pretending To Be Landlord While Pocketing Rents & Security Deposits From Unwitting Rental Prospects

In Sacramento, California, The Sacramento Bee Crime Blog reports:

• A Sacramento man is facing a year in jail and hefty fines after conducting a real estate scam using the popular Craigslist Web site. Michael Eugene Blair, 28, pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple counts of theft by false pretense, Sacramento police Sgt. Matt Young said. Blair was arrested in May by the department's Real Estate Fraud Unit after they learned he was renting out a property he didn't own.

• Blair used the Craigslist Web site to advertise that he was renting out a north Natomas condominium. Blair had lived in the condo and was being evicted, Young said. The man pretended to be the property's owner and collected thousands of dollars in security deposits and rent from at least four victims. He was in the midst of defrauding other people when he was arrested.

For more, see Rental scam results in jail time, restitution for Sacramento man.

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