Cape Coral Man arrested and charged with over 90 counts of fraud

Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
fraud
Jacob Michael Schismenos, 32, mugshot. Credit: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office

The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a business and then pawning them off.

According to CCPD, Jacob Michael Schismenos, 32, was arrested following reports of stolen merchandise at the Madison Square Apartments, a 55+ senior living facility.

According to the business’s property manager, Schismenos was the maintenance worker at the building. Police said she and Schismenos were the only employees who worked at the property.

The manager stated that beginning on Jan. 10, items were seen missing from the complex, including an air mover, a backpack leaf blower, a portable AC unit, a hand truck, a ladder, a carpet shampooer, a wet vac and an Oreck vacuum.

Upon being confronted by the manager, Schismenos stated that the items were either stolen or lost; however, the items reappeared.

On March 27, the manager spotted Schismenos leaving the building with the items in the bed of his truck and then returning to the building with the items in his truck later that night.

According to police, the manager then called a local pawn shop to discover that the items listed had been pawned, with the total cost estimated to be around $3,600.

Following an investigation by detectives, Schismenos allegedly made 31 transactions at the local pawn shop on different days and at different times.

He was then arrested by police and charged with 31 counts of petit theft in the first degree, 31 counts of false verification of ownership or false identification to a pawnbroker and 31 counts of dealing with stolen property.

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