Man Poses As Landlord To Collect Rent

Written By

Jennifer Shutt

Staff Writer

POCOMOKE CITY -- Soon after a Baltimore man moved to town, police say he began duping people into paying him rent to live in buildings he didn't own.

In addition, prostitution, forgery, making a false statement to a police officer and theft are charges the suspect, Robert Austera, also faces.

Austera, 57, of the 500 block of Moore Street in Pocomoke City, was charged after witnesses told police that Austera allegedly promised them places to live and took rent money from them for properties, a police investigation determined, that weren't his to rent.

Austera allegedly promised fraudulent rentals to at least two people. In the case that launched the police probe into Austera, one of the tenants was charged with fourth-degree burglary for attempting to enter a building he thought he was renting in the clear.

After James Motyka was charged with breaking into a building in the 420 block of Oxford Street, he showed police a rent receipt from Austera for $250, according to court documents. Motyka told police he had paid Austera that money as a down payment to move into a home on the 420 block of Oxford Street.

The men made an arrangement that Motyka could fix up other houses -- which Motyka believed Austera managed -- in exchange for his first two months' rent. Pocomoke City police say they intend to have the burglary charges against Motyka dropped.

Kacee Briddelle was also allegedly defrauded by Austera, according to court documents. Briddelle told police she paid Austera $700 to move into one of the properties he allegedly claimed he managed.

"Briddelle advised she found Austera's number and an ad offering to find affordable apartments for rent in Pocomoke City on Craigslist," police said.

After not being able to get hold of Austera for two weeks, Briddelle persuaded him to return $300 of her $700. Austera told her he could no longer help her find a place to live, according to court documents. He is alleged to still have $400 of Briddelle's money.

Efrem Phillips, who is reported by court documents to be the owner of the house Austera was allegedly renting out, told police he had never given Austera permission to create a lease or to write Phillips' signature on it.

In a separate incident, Austera is charged with prostitution, along with Kimberly Reeder, 44, of the 32000 block of Overholt Road in Pocomoke City. In March, Austera allegedly mentioned to one of his roommates that he sometimes paid to have sex with Reeder, according to court documents, and offered to introduce her to him. She allegedly offered the roommate sex for pay, but the roommate declined, according to court documents.

During the investigation, police learned Austera's 17-year-old daughter was living in his house along with a registered sex offender, Dale Kirk Audet. Audet, 38, was listed as living on the 500 block of Moore Street, according to the Maryland sex offender registry. On May 3, shortly after Austera's arrest, his registered address changed to the 210 block of Laurel Street. Audet has been convicted of third-degree sex offense, indecent exposure and violating his probation, according to Maryland case search. Austera's daughter was removed from the home by Worcester County Social Services for her safety, according to police.

Austera has been charged with more than 15 crimes since 1994, according to Maryland court records. He has been found guilty of motor vehicle theft, harassment through email, a continued course of harassment, telephone misuse through repeated calls and second-degree assault.

Source; http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110506/NEWS01/105060301/Man-poses-landlord-collects-rent-police-say?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|frontpage