Fugitive Serial Con Man Claimed To Be Millionaire: Police Reports

SKOKIE, IL — An accused con artist charged with scamming realtors, a nurse and a priest out of thousands of dollars is now wanted in three states after failing to appear in court last month on seven counts of theft by deception.

Marin Ghimes, 62, absconded after being released on a personal recognizance bond. A warrant was issued for his arrest Jan. 23, court records show. Police said Ghimes, also known as "Michael Messina" and "Peter DeLuca," also has at least six non-extraditable arrest warrants active in Texas and Florida and a history of similar crimes going back more than a quarter century.

At the time of his November 2018 arrest, Skokie police said Ghimes presented himself as wheelchair-bound and befriended elderly victims he typically met in hospitals or churches. He promised to repay them if they covered his hotel bills and deceived people into buying luxury vehicles for his use, police said.

According to police reports, Ghimes first came to the attention of Skokie police in March 2018. A nurse came to the station to report Ghimes, using the name "Michael Messima," had hired her to be his personal nurse for $100,000 a year in a "strictly verbal" agreement. When Ghimes was released from hospital, he told the nurse he "needed a place to live because he lost the key to the gate for his house in Barrington." He told her did not have any of his credit cards because they were locked at another hospital in Geneva, according to the reports.

Police said the nurse ended up paying about $715 for a room at the Holiday Inn for "Messima" to stay between March 16–24, 2018. They agreed that once Ghimes had access to his purported finances, he would pay the nurse back for the cost of the room. Instead, he broke off contact and never paid her any money. The nurse realized "Messima" was lying and filed a report with police but did not want to press charges. At the time, police were unable to find any information about "Messima," who was listed with a different date of birth on the incident report.

Ghimes was back on the radar of Skokie investigators on Oct. 31 when a pair of realtors came to the station to report they had been scammed by a man they knew as "Michael Messina" through a mutual friend. After meeting one of them while giving communion at Skokie Hospital, Ghimes befriended them, police said.

Although he said he had no money and needed a place to stay, Ghimes claimed to have "millions of dollars, but no access to it as he lost his credit cards and needed replacements." Police said he convinced one to rent a room for him at the Double Tree with the promise of being paid back once Ghimes got his replacement credit cards. He never did.

Ghimes got the realtors to drive him around Barrington to show him properties worth more than $1 million, according to the reports. But he refused to provide any proof of funds when asked. One of the realtors took a photo of Ghimes and provided it to police because he did not believe "Michael Messina" was his real name.

Another witness told police Ghimes would ask to be driven around to look at properties for sale. He claimed he had millions of dollars and would pay for "a home to help children," according to police reports. When the witness took Ghimes back to his hotel room at the Double Tree after a trip to an Audi dealership in Glenview, the witness reported noticing financial applications for vehicle purchases from multiple car dealerships in other people's names, taking a picture that was provided to investigators, police said.

"Michael Messina" met and befriended another one of the people he is accused of scamming after he gave communion at Alexian Brothers Hospital in Elk Grove, according to police reports. Ghimes again claimed he had lost his credit cards and needed a place to stay. He offered a room at the Double Tree but warned Ghimes that he would have to cover the charges after a day or two. Police were told Ghimes promised $1 million and a charitable fund of $147,000, while his victim covered a hotel bill of about $4,500, the reports said.

Ghimes then asked for $1,100 "so that he could have his niece come to America" and had his victim transfer the money to him, according to the reports. Ghimes then offered to purchase a BMW for his victim "for all the trouble" he had put him through. They went to a dealership where the victim filled out the paperwork to purchase a BMW SUV for about $80,000. The victim told police he had been inside Ghimes' room, where he noticed a large, "extremely heavy" black bag. Ghimes also told him he had "multiple guns," according to the reports.

Skokie detectives met with staff at the Double Tree on the evening of Oct. 31, where they learned "Michael Messina" had been staying at the hotel for about three weeks and had not been making his payments, according to police reports.

The investigators noticed a man matching the suspect's description sitting in the hotel lobby as they spoke with staff. The lead detective on the case let Ghimes, who identified himself as "Michael Messina," know the police wanted to speak to him about the money he had been provided by one of the people he had befriended.

Ghimes said he "did not know anything about that." The detective let him know he would be placed under arrest on suspicion of financial exploitation of the elderly and theft by deception. Ghimes then began complaining of chest pain and asked for an ambulance, which was provided for him. Later that night, officers obtained a warrant and searched Ghimes' room, where they found "multiple documents regarding vehicle purchases" in other people's names.

The next day, detectives went to the hospital and fingerprinted Ghimes, who said he used to go by "Peter Deluca" about 10 years but that he never told anyone he owned multiple houses and did not want to speak to police without a lawyer present, police reported. The fingerprints gave investigators the name of Marin Ghimes, while a search of a facial recognition database turned up the Deluca name.

Ghimes has three warrants in Florida involving charges of probation violation, larceny and grand theft. He has three more Texas warrants attached to a theft charge, police said. In addition to the six non-extraditable warrants, investigators also noticed Ghimes appeared to have been arrested in nine different states, according to police reports.

After Ghimes was arrested Nov. 1, he remained in custody for more than a month before seeing a judge. Sheriff's deputies explained that every time Ghimes was set to be transported to court for a bond hearing, he would complain of chest pain and be returned to the hospital.

Clad in a 5XL jumpsuit and yarmulke, Ghimes appeared Dec. 18 in courtroom devoid of spectators — save for a single reporter and a handful of unchaperoned black-clad children who entered for Ghimes' bond hearing, seemingly to demonstrate support.

Circuit Judge Anjana Hansen issued Ghimes a $25,000 recognizance bond, ordering him not to have contact with the people he is accused of scamming. He was not placed under electronic monitoring or house arrest.

The next month, Cook County prosecutors indicted Ghimes on seven counts of theft by deception involving two Skokie residents. The indictment said he scammed the seniors out of cars from a BMW dealership in Schaumburg and a Toyota dealership in Lincolnwood, as well as rooms at the Holiday Inn and Doubletree Hilton in Skokie.

Ghimes never showed up to his scheduled court date. On Jan. 22, a non-extraditable bond forfeiture warrant was issued for his arrest. An attorney with knowledge of the case said Ghimes is believed to have fled to a southwestern state. Ghimes could not be reached for comment.

Earlier: Homeless Man Cons Seniors Out Of Hotel Stays, Luxury Cars: Cops