Man arrested after stealing $80K from Alpharetta woman in romance scam

A man accused of stealing more than $80,000 from an Alpharetta woman in a romance fraud scheme has been arrested in Franklin, Tennessee.

 

Gwinnett County Police Department Cpl. Michele Pihera said the victim contacted police to report the theft, telling them she met the suspect on the online dating site Match.com back in March. The suspect, identified as John Martin Hill, 35, told the victim he was a millionaire.

 

"During their short romance, he convinced her that they were in love and wanted to buy a house together. They went house-hunting and selected a home they were interested in," Pihera said in a press statement. "The woman gave the suspect more than $80,000 to use toward the purchase of a house and furniture."

 

Pihera said once Hill received the money, he stopped communicating with the victim.  

 

During the course of the investigation, detectives learned Hill was living in an apartment in Duluth with another woman and a child. They also determined Hill had changed his name five times in the past two and a half years and had committed similar crimes in four other states.

 

Pihera said Gwinnett Police issued a warrant for Hill on charges of felony theft by deception.

 

Pihera said Hill was arrested in Franklin Tuesday night; he was booked into the Williamson County Jail around 10 p.m. 

Hill is believed to have other victims in the area, and Pihera encouraged those women to contact police.