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Convicted Mother & Son Scammers Now Accused In Rental Scam

By Lauren DiSpirito

DENVER (CBS4) - The district attorney's office in Denver has charged a man and his mother for their involvement in an alleged rental scam while they are already serving sentences for similar crimes.

According to court documents, Andres Torres, 49, faces six counts of forgery and six counts of identity theft, after investigators say he stole a man's identity and used it to advertise a single family home for rent on Craigslist, drawing up phony leases and collecting rent from unsuspecting tenants.

Torres used the alias Gabriel Delgado, to rent a home on the 4900 block of Hooker Street in Denver, the document states. This summer, the tenant uncovered the alleged fraud when Torres was discovered using his real name.

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Elena Romero and Andres Torres (credit: Denver DA)

CBS4 went to the home investigators say he rented to that tenant and found another woman living there with her children. She identified the man in Torres' arrest booking photograph as Gabriel Delgado.

"He told me his name was Gabriel Delgado and he signed the papers in front of me under Gabriel Delgado," the woman said, who asked not to be identified.

She says the man had her sign two different lease agreements. She says she's been paying rent and covering the cost of home repairs since September.

"Right now I'm in shock," she said. "I don't know what to think … I'm just worried. What am I going to do?"

The woman contacted police, fearing now she and her children will be out of a place to live.

"I'm also angry because everything seemed so real," she said.

Investigators have also charged Torres' mother, Elena Romero, 76, accusing her of tampering with the case by telling a witness to lie to investigators.

In 2014, Romero and Torres were in indicted under charges they violated the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. Although the district attorney's office says it argued for Torres to be sentenced to prison in the case, he received a 25-year Community Corrections sentence instead. Romero is currently serving four years of probation.

Torres was taken into custody on the new charges on Friday. He is due in Denver County Court on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

Romero was arrested in Adams County where she is being held in lieu of $5,000 bond. Her next court date has not yet been set.

Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.

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