Charges mount in vacation home fraud case

KEY WEST, Fla., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Charges keep piling up against a suspect in a Florida Keys vacation fraud, who now has more than 100 charges filed against him, sheriff's deputies said.

At least nineteen people have contacted the Monroe County Sheriff's office, alleging they were victimized by rental agent John D. Williams, 52, of Tavernier, the Florida Keys Keynoter reported Wednesday.

Williams, who has been in jail since his arrest in October, faces 102 charges, including grand theft, using a computer to defraud and counterfeiting documents, officials said.

"We're checking to see if the U.S. Postal Service wants to look at possible federal cases," said Detective Sgt. David Carey, lead investigator on the case.

When Williams started handling short-term vacation rentals for homeowners about five years ago, he worked legitimately through a licensed agency, the Keynoter said. That apparently ended when Williams set up Web sites not affiliated with any licensed business and still offered homes for rent.

One homeowner, Kimberly Dafoe, who lives part of the year in British Columbia said vacationers "started finding me to make us aware that our property was double-booked or they were told a week before their trip that the rental was canceled."

After the first complaints were received, detectives contacted Williams but agreed to let him resolve what seemed to be business issues, the Keynoter said. Investigators said they learned later he still booked vacations for properties he no longer represented and sometimes used a false name when dealing with customers.