The man accused of scamming a woman looking for her happily-ever-after has been arrested. Franklin, Tenn. Police arrested John Martin Hill early Wednesday morning on theft by deception warrants out of Gwinnett County.
Police said Hill and the woman met online where he posed as a millionaire and convinced her they were in love. They said it is not the first time he's run this scam.
They said the 35-year-old changed his name five times in the past two-and-a-half years and had preyed on women in a similar way in both Milton, Georgia and in Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. Police say he could be a suspect in at least eight other cases.
According to the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Alpharetta woman met Hill through Match.com on March 27. The pair met in person the same day, and within a week, agreed to get married.
Police said Hill told his victim he was a millionaire during the course of their short romance.
Hill got the money after he allegedly told her he wanted to buy a house together. They went home-hunting and even picked out the one they wanted. That's when police said the woman gave Hill more than $80,000 to put toward buying the home and the furniture to fill it. But, after giving him the money, police said Hill was gone without a trace.
Police said Hill lived with another mother and child at an apartment on Plantation Trace Drive in Duluth.
Police commended the victim for coming forward, but are also asking for other potential victims to come forward.
"It's not something they should be embarrassed of, these (types of criminals) are con artists - they know exactly the kinds of things the victims want to hear, so it's important for them to call us," said Cpl. Michele Pihera.
If anyone has information about Hill, they're asked to contact detectives at 770-513-5300.
Tipsters can do so and remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com.
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