Roger Ochoa and Yuleidis Vazquez

One lesson to be learned is to be sure you know who you are renting a home from and that they are the lawful property owners.

That was not the case in Lehigh Acres on Sept. 20 when the Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Roger Ochoa, 25, of Hialeah, with scheming to defraud and burglary of an unoccupied residence.

A woman with Ochoa, identified as Yuleidis Vazquez, 20, also of Hialeah, was charged with a scheme to defraud and burglary accessory after the fact.

The pair allegedly tried to rent out a home in Lehigh that was not theirs.

According to a LCSO report, the house is at 701 W. Fifth St. When representatives for the real homeowner found out that the home was being listed for rent on Craigslist, they decided to take action.

Investigators for the homeowner called Ochoa at the number listed on the ad and said he was interested in seeing the home.

Ochoa said he would meet him there, instructing him to go to the back of the house and enter through the rear door.

According to the report, the man discovered that the backdoor screen had been removed and the door was unlocked. It was the same door he had locked the previous night when he had gone to the house.

Once inside, Ochoa said he needed $3,000 for rent and would present the lease later, according to the report. That was when the man called deputies, who raced to the house to catch Ochoa.

Deputies determined that Ochoa conducted an ongoing course of conduct with the intent to defraud multiple persons.

He was taken into custody.

Vazquez was sitting in a vehicle in front of the home. Deputies said she was also in on the scheme and detained her, as well.

The report states that the two may have defrauded others in Lee County, specifically non-English speaking residents.

If you believe you were defrauded by Ochoa or Vazquez, call the LCSO at 239-477-1000.