A Florida couple accused of running a rental scam that bilked 18 families out of $28,000 were arrested in Las Vegas after a three-month search, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Nicole Johnson, 30, and her husband, David Johnson, 32, are accused of renting their Largo home to multiple people at the same time, WTSP reported. They were arrested Wednesday morning in the Linq Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, authorities said. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said hotel security suspected the couple of fraud and had them detained, the Times reported.
According to Las Vegas police, the couple's three children -- a 6-year-old and 2-year-old twins -- were with their parents when they were arrested, the Times reported. The children were turned over to Child Protective Services where they are still in custody, the newspaper reported.
The Johnsons’ alleged scheme was discovered June 19 when four families showed up to move into the home on the same day, police said.
"I want to punch her in the face," Katina Johnson, a member of one of the families that paid to rent the home, said during a news conference in June.
Two weeks later, Largo police obtained warrants for the Johnsons.
The Johnsons advertised their home for rent on Craigslist and Facebook and signed several leases, the Times reported. Each family paid a deposit ranging from $1,000 to $4,300, Largo police said.
The families signed documents forged with the names of Nicole Johnson’s parents, who owned the 1,400-square-foot home.
The Johnsons were booked into the Clark County Detention Center and are being held without bail, the Times reported.
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