A man running multiple cons around Texas — swindling victims out of thousands — allegedly passed himself off as a paralegal, charging one victim he met at a Burger King for “legal services” to process a divorce.
Jesus Lopez, 41, was arrested on March 8, after police unearthed that he had run multiple scams in two Texas counties and stole over $21,000 from three different people, according to KXAN.
The alleged conman stole from his first victim on May 25, 2023, when he passed himself off as a salesman at a small car dealership in Mission, TX.
He deceitfully requested $1,500 from the victim as a payment for a Chevy Impala, but police say Lopez pocketed the cash.
When the victim returned to the lot a short time later, the dealership’s owner revealed that Lopez was not an employee.
Lopez then met with a second victim who sought a divorce lawyer in August.
This time, he allegedly passed himself off as a paralegal working for a local law firm.
Meeting the victim at a Burger King in Mission, Texas on August 15, Lopez claimed it cost $500 to “initiate divorce proceedings.”
The following day the alleged scammer met with the victim again at the same Burger King and fleeced them out of an additional $2,500 to continue with the divorce.
Once more, on Aug. 31, Lopez met with the victim for a third time and scammed an extra $2,500 from the divorce-seeker for “legal services,” according to police.
Lopez had also been paid an additional $800 from the victim at an undisclosed time.
The victim filed a report against Lopez with the Mission Police Department on Feb. 22, 2024, and provided screenshots of text messages showing conversations about the legal services he was claiming to file and the money he would need to do so.
But, the alleged conman’s scamming ways did not end there.
In November, Lopez, posing as a paralegal, requested $6,700 to bail a third victim’s son out of jail.
His third victim explained to police that she requested a receipt after giving him the money, but Lopez failed to provide her with one.
At an unknown date, he again met with the victim, who said her son was still in jail due to “citations,” according to the outlet.
The alleged scammer then requested an extra $1,132 from her to resolve the issue and an additional $600 for the release of her son’s impounded vehicle.
Seeing the well wasn’t running dry, he again met with his third victim, this time promising a job for her son and charged the woman $180 “to buy uniforms” for the fake job, police said.
The woman, again, gave Lopez an extra $5,000 that he said would help get her son out of prison on Nov. 21.
The alleged swindler stole nearly $20,000 from both victims while conning them into believing he was a paralegal, police told the outlet.
Lopez was arraigned on Saturday on three counts of theft. His bond was set at $155,000.
He was also wanted on similar charges, one for theft out of Gaines County and one for Austin.
