Tampa Man Accused Of Commandeering Vacant Home For Sale & Renting It Out; Also Suspected Of Leasing Condos He Didn't Own To Unwitting Tenants

In Tampa, Florida, ABC Action News reports:

• An ABC Action News investigation has uncovered a bizarre alleged real estate scam where a local man is accused of breaking into vacant homes and renting them out to unsuspecting victims.

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• Robert Smith got a call from one of his former neighbors about the home [...] he was trying to sell. "Congratulating me on selling my house. It had been on the market for a while," said Smith. It was good news all around. Not exactly. "So when she called I was like I haven't sold my house yet,” according to Smith.

• Smith, a soldier at MacDill Air Force Base, went to the neighborhood and found a house full of people inside the home he hadn't sold yet. Once at the front door, a man came out, "...and he gives me this spiel about my partner and I have a business in Tampa and we rent houses and buy foreclosed homes then rent them out," said Smith. "What did you say when you told him you were the owner of the house?” We asked. “He didn't say anything," Smith responded.

• His full name is Jackie Robinson Moore. Moore is now jailed after being charged by Hillsborough Sheriff's Deputies with Grand Theft, Dealing in Stolen Property, and Fraud. [...] We learned this may not be an isolated case. The management company, which runs a New Tampa condominium complex, said a man calling himself "J Moore" also leased 4-5 units he didn't own to unsuspecting renters.

For more, see INVESTIGATION: Man accused of renting other people's homes.