Scam artist back in court on new charges

BALTIMORE - A Baltimore man convicted in a huge apartment rental scam more than five years ago is back in court. This time Lamondes Williams is charged in a scam involving rental cars.

For Williams, this time he's in the federal courthouse in Baltimore where he will learn his fate.

The Baltimore man convicted in an apartment rental scam in Prince George's County in 2005 is on trial here, charged by the feds for his role in a car rental scheme.

"I gave them $1,000. That money's gone? It's gone, the car's gone. It was all a scam," says victim Dominique Love.

Prosecutors say the scheme duped more than 90 victims. People like Dominique say the paid Williams' company cash, up front in a rent-to-own operation.

Love says she paid $1,000 to Erica Brown, an accomplice, and got a car she was told she would eventually own after her monthly payments.

Love drove that car for only three days before having to turn it back in. The feds say Williams and Brown were taking cash for short term rentals with commercial agencies.

"I though this was too good, but after talking to them, they reassured me and instilled in me I could trust them, so I went along with it," says Love.

So did dozens of others, until Williams was busted last winter by Former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino.

He took the stand to talk about tracking down the victims and getting their help to piece together Williams' scheme through recorded phone calls.

Police arrested Williams earlier this year in College Park.

Williams has been in custody since his arrest and he will remain there throughout his trial, which is expected to last two weeks.

If he's convicted on wire fraud and phone fraud and conspiracy charges he could spend a lot more time behind bars, potentially as many as 20 years.