Paul Bakovich is not a landlord, but apparently he is pretty convincing and prolific in the role.
The Kirkland man was arrested for the second time in less than a month on Aug. 28 for a scam using houses that he does not own and a craigslist add to lure unsuspecting would-be renters into giving him money.
Originally, Bakovich was arrested Aug. 22 for the scam, involving a house in the Kingsgate neighborhood he was a previous tenant at and was evicted from.
But the time frame between when he bailed out of jail for the first offense and when he went back to the scam the second time was the most bold part of his alleged activities.
Approximately two-and-a-half hours was all it took Bakovich to hit the scam a second time.
Bakovich was arrested a month ago for allegedly scamming nearly $3,900 from seven people. The 36-year-old man spent five days in King County jail before being released on Aug. 27.
According to prosecutors, just two-and-a-half hours later, Bakovich used a craigslist add to lure an unsuspecting couple looking for a place to live. The three-bedroom Redmond home was listed for $885 a month.
Bakovich told the couple that he owned the house and was taking it off the market. They gave Bakovich $900 to rent the home, but became suspicious when they called the realtor who was selling the house and were informed that it was in foreclosure.
He was caught when the couple notified authorities after they did an internet search for Bakovich and found people warning others about his scam.
Police worked with the couple as they were to show for a meeting with Bakovich, where the victims would receive the keys to the Redmond home and sign a lease. Instead, police arrested Bakovich for attempting to scam the couple.
Bakovich originally told authorities that he needed the money to fix his car, according to the police report. He also blamed his behavior on his addiction to OxyContin.
Bakovich, who is already facing three counts of second-degree theft, is now facing four more counts of second-degree theft for his second arrest in a month. He is being held at the King County Jail on $60,000 bail, charging papers said.
