Glendale : Scam Suspect Held in Nevada

A man suspected of stealing about $70,000 from 19 people through a Glendale-based real estate scam was arrested Monday in Las Vegas, authorities said.

Michael James Dunn, 41, was being held in Clark County Detention Center on four counts of theft and obtaining money under false pretenses in an earlier real estate swindle in the Las Vegas area, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Detective David Levins said.

Las Vegas police also have a warrant from California seeking Dunn’s extradition to face charges in Glendale, he said.

Glendale police said Dunn, as co-owner of PM Enterprises, accepted advance fees of $2,000 or more after promising to help customers buy a house with no money down.

Police allege that Dunn and his partner, Paulette Ruel, 29, pocketed the money, then abruptly closed the business.

Last November, a Glendale municipal judge ordered Ruel to stand trial on 19 counts of grand theft, but Dunn was a fugitive at the time. Ruel was later arrested in Las Vegas on charges that she forged deeds to be used as collateral while trying to arrange Dunn’s release on bail for an earlier arrest.