Swindler makes another impression on the Court

William Lopez

In May we reported on a Buttonwood Bay resident who was busted after he swindled over two thousand dollars from three persons by claiming he was selling land for Minister Anthony “Boots” Martinez. Well, two more victims have surfaced and forty-four year old William Lopez was back in court today on two counts of Obtaining Property by Deception. The latest allegations were made by businesswoman, Soraida Areli, and accountant Javier Navarro; both Belama residents. Areli claims that she met Lopez in February and he promised to help her with a piece of land that had been taken from her, but she had to pay five hundred and fifty dollars up front. She later found out that Lopez is not employed by Minister Martinez and no action had been taken in relation to the plot of land. Meanwhile, Lopez reportedly convinced Navarro that he could secure two lots in the Belama Phase Four area and collected one thousand two hundred and eighty dollars for the job. About two weeks later, Navarro make checks at Lands Department and found out that he had been duped. Lopez appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer this morning, but no plea was taken since it is not yet known how the police will proceed against him. And while he was spared prison time back in May, Lopez is behind bars tonight because he has not made any payments toward the fines imposed for the previous charges and the deadline passed at the end of June.