Swindler Sentenced to Work on Road Crew
A man who swindled several San Fernando Valley residents out of deposits and rental payments on properties he did not own was sentenced Monday to 20 days on a Caltrans crew, according to Deputy City Atty. Mark Lambert.
James Anthony Rojas, 38, of Mission Hills pleaded no contest in Los Angeles Municipal Court to one count of false advertising and one count of attempted grand theft, officials from the city attorney’s office said. In addition to working on the state Department of Transportation crew, Rojas was ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution to one of his victims.
If he does not make the payment by May 6, he will be ordered to serve a six-month jail term, Lambert said.
The charges against Rojas resulted from an investigation by Los Angeles Police Department detectives, Lambert said. It was triggered by complaints from people who responded to home rental advertisements placed in the Recycler. Victims said Rojas told them he owned the properties and that he collected rent deposits ranging from $500 to $2,700, Lambert said.
Three people who said they jointly rented a Granada Hills home from Rojas paid him about $6,000 in rent before learning the residence was owned by someone else, Lambert said.
Another man said he paid a $500 security deposit on a North Hills residence before discovering that Rojas didn’t own it.
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