Man Busted, Faces Theft By Deception, Forgery Charges For Allegedly Renting Same Residence To Multiple Victims, Pocketing $10K In Deposits

In McDonough, Georgia, FOX 5 Atlanta reports:

• A McDonough man duped several renters out of thousands of dollars, according to authorities. Police say 35-year-old Joel House leased two homes to at least seven victims, collecting some $10,000 in deposits. “He was awful anxious to get money,” said Ray Radford. “I gave him $1,600.”



• Radford says he signed a lease for an $800 a month four bedroom, three bathroom home. He said his family moved in last month. But in the meantime, police say, House was also leasing to other families.



• “He would accept a partial deposit one day and turn around the next day and accept a partial deposit from another family for the same residence,” said McDonough Police Detective R. Gardner. Gardner says House leased a home in Ellenwood and another house in Stockbridge to at least seven families. Police say House worked for the home’s owner, who was unaware of the scam.



• House is facing three counts of first degree forgery and three counts of theft by deception. Police say House lured victims through Craigslist ads. One family came from California. “They come here, moved here but when they come here they found out we were here and they were from California,” said Radford. The Radfords say they're now moving because the home is in foreclosure.



• Police said they anticipate more victims will come forward.

Source: Man Charged With Duping Renters in McDonough.