Fall River Police Seek Fugitive in Fake Landlord Scam

UPDATE (10:30 a.m.): Fall River Police Sgt. J.T. Hoar reports Pereira has been captured in Middletown, Rhode Island.

Fall River Police are on the lookout for a pretend landlord who allegedly took a cash deposit for a non-existent apartment, then kept the money.

Joseph Pereira, 54, showed up in court on Thursday, then disappeared before he could be taken into custody. He has not been seen since, and police are on the lookout for the fugitive, according to Det. John Robinson of the Fall River Police Department.

Pereira, of 157 Rodman Street, is a frequent flyer at the courthouse and well-known to police. According to the Fall River Herald News, he has been arraigned around three-dozen times on larceny-related charges, many involving swindles and scams, since 1982.

Pereira was in violation of probation on similar charges when he fled the courthouse, Robinson said. Police believe there may be other victims of the recent apartment scam.

Anyone who thinks they may have been victimized by Mr. Pereira is asked to contact Det. Lawrence Ferreira at (508) 324-2796 or call anonymously on the TIPS line (508) 672-TIPS (8477). If anyone sees Pereira, they are asked to call police.