El Cajon

A transient arrested Tuesday for allegedly courting women and then conning them out of money and property will be arraigned this week, police said.

Nicholas Martinelli, 50, is being held in San Diego County Jail on suspicion of burglary and grand theft. Bail has been set at $200,000, a jail spokeswoman said.

Martinelli, also known as Raymond Harry Stone or Richard Stone, was arrested on Broadway Street in El Cajon by detectives from the San Diego and El Cajon police departments.

Martinelli allegedly befriended women between 30 and 50 years old and eventually moved in with them, said San Diego police spokesman Bill Robinson. He then asked them to wire money--sometimes as much as $2,500--to a false address in Indiana, where he said his relatives owned property and needed a loan.

After the women complied, he would allegedly intercept the wire without their knowledge and steal the money, Robinson said.

Police believe the alleged con-man used this method to dupe at least four East County women, Robinson said.

San Diego and El Cajon detectives are still searching for other women who may have been victimized, Robinson said. They also are seeking information about what appears to be a hotel key recovered from Martinelli.

The key is marked with the number 305 in red plastic, but that number had been covered by tape with the number 405 written on it, Robinson said. Police believe the room may be the site of property allegedly stolen by Martinelli.