In February, the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) Central Fraud Unit began investigating an alleged real estate fraud after a Las Vegas real estate agent contacted them about a potential scam.
The agent reported that an individual from Niagara Falls had expressed interest in purchasing a property he was selling. Over an extended period of communication, the agent became suspicious that the person was attempting to defraud him and reached out to police for assistance.
Following an investigation, 58-year-old Anthony Pierce of Niagara Falls was identified as the suspect. Pierce, who had been serving a conditional sentence for a previous fraud charge, now faces a charge of breach of conditional sentence.
In May 2022, Pierce was charged with fraud over $5,000 and was sentenced to a conditional sentence, allowing him to serve his time in the community under certain conditions. However, violating these conditions can result in the individual being taken into custody for the remainder of their sentence.
On February 25, Pierce was arrested by NRPS officers and remanded into custody. Investigators believe there may be additional victims and encourage anyone with information related to the case to come forward.
Individuals can contact the police at 905-688-4111, extension 1009245, or reach out to Crime Stoppers of Niagara anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 for potential rewards.
