Police: Man posed as military police to rent house
A California native is accused of posing as a law enforcement officer while carrying out an elaborate scam to rent a home in southwest Las Vegas, police said.
Blake Herman, 23, was booked Monday at the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of committing burglary, forgery, impersonating a public official and obtaining money under false pretenses, jail records show.
A Las Vegas police arrest report for Herman says that a man using the name “Blake Estrada” contacted a property management company on April 10 about renting a home on the 5500 block of Golden Palms Court, near South Hualapai Way
and West Russell Road.
The man showed up at the property management office “dressed in uniform and duty belt” and identified himself as a “Police Officer II with the U.S. Air Force,” according to the arrest report.
Estrada claimed he made $98,700 and provided two defense finance and accounting service military earning statements, which showed that he made $8,928 in the month of March. Estrada provided the documents as he filled out a rental application for the home.
Three days later, the property management company approved the application, and Estrada signed a two-year lease agreement. Estrada had to pay a $2,500 security deposit and $1,250 for the first month’s rent. The arrest report said that Estrada provided two cashier’s checks covering the amounts to the property management company and was given the keys.
According to the report, a company employee said he rented the property to Estrada “believing Estrada was a police officer.”
Three days later, the property management company was notified by Wells Fargo Bank that the cashier’s checks provided by Estrada were returned unpaid.
The property management company could not get in touch with Estrada, who moved into the home by April 15. The company sought to evict Estrada but couldn’t, according to the arrest report, because “Nevada’s Governor issued a directive for evictions to be stopped” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police confirmed that Estrada did not work at Nellis Air Force Base andthathewasnotemployedby the U.S. Air Force in any capacity.
A further check of a driver’s license provided by Estrada showed that he was, at one point, a fugitive out of California on undisclosed charges, according to the arrest report.
Since Estrada’s case was now considered a criminal matter, the property management company was able to obtain eviction papers on May 4.
Police said they obtained surveillance video of the home that day showing Estrada at the property “speaking with a locksmith to have the locks changed on the property.”
Police contacted Estrada on May 9.
“Estrada said he came up with his idea to impersonate an Air Force policeman because he used to be enlisted in the military,” police said in the arrest report. “Estrada needed a place to stay and no one would rent him a home because of his job status.”
Estrada also admitted he provided forged documents to the property management company, police said. He then was arrested and booked under the name Blake Herman.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Glennatrj on Twitter.