Man tried to sell Scottsdale condo that belonged to someone with the same name: PD
AZ man accused of trying to sell someone else's home
Police have arrested a man who they say didn't just burglarize a luxury condo in Scottsdale. The man, per court documents, actually tried to put the place on the market.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Court documents state an Arizona man is facing multiple charges for allegedly trying to sell a Scottsdale condo that belongs to a snowbird with an identical name.
What we know:
The suspect is identified in court paperwork as 26-year-old Nathan Lucas Underwood. Investigators say the victim and the suspect "share the same first and last name."
Investigators say the victim lives in Nebraska, and owns the apartment in question with a business partner via a company that is also registered in Nebraska. The victim noticed something was wrong when the cleaning crew that is contracted to clean the home was not able to get a spare key from the condo's concierge. The victim later flew to Arizona, and "saw the condo had been burglarized for dozens of clothing and decorative items totaling approximately $14,000."
Area where the condo is located
Per court documents, the victim also received a package from a title company who wanted to confirm if the victim was trying to sell the condo. The victim told the title company it was fraud.
Dig deeper:
Police say the title company also told the victim that a realtor met with a person who claimed to be the victim at the condo. When investigators spoke with the realtor, the realtor said the suspect gave him "a ‘crazy’ story about how he acquired an LLC and this property with it." The realtor said Underwood tried to sell the condo for $1.3 million.
The realtor, according to detectives, also said he noted a number of inconsistencies that he believed were red flags for fraud, such as:
- The suspect's car was parked in the guest parking area instead of the resident's parking area
- The suspect stated that the LLC owning the home was registered in Arizona
- The suspect never asked what percentage the realtor would receive
Underwood, according to police, was picked out of a photo lineup by the realtor on June 4.
Suspect had recent legal issues
Local perspective:
Police said Underwood had a separate recent encounter with law enforcement. Per court documents, Underwood was arrested in Phoenix on April 23 for alleged aggravated assault involving a repo man who was trying to repossess one of his cars. Underwood was "released from MCAO on [April 27] to a psychiatric facility."
Nathan Underwood
Underwood was placed under arrest on the afternoon of July 27. Investigators say Underwood was found with a meth pipe in his pocket at the time of his arrest.
In a subsequent interview, police said Underwood "began rambling about conspiracies about people hacking his phone and his bank account." They also said Underwood later asked for a lawyer.
What's next:
According to his court documents, Underwood is accused of:
- Second degree burglary (A.R.S. 13-1507)
- Aggravated taking the identity of another person (A.R.S. 13-2009A2)
- Fraudulent schemes and artifices (A.R.S. 13-2310A)
A judge has set a $10,000 bond for Underwood, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 6.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a court document related to the case.