A woman has been arrested after allegedly renting out property she did not own.
Rebecca Leah Braswell, 23, of Sumterville, is facing charges of fraud and larceny following her arrest Thursday by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies.
A woman and her husband reported they had paid Braswell $1,050 to rent a property in Sumterville, according to an arrest report from the sheriff’s office. An electronic lease was executed and the couple was given a move-in date of June 6. They agreed to meet Braswell at the Tractor Supply store in Bushnell to pay the balance owed. They gave her the money, but Braswell was evasive about turning over a key. The report noted that Braswell had arrived for the exchange with a pit bull.
It was later learned that the owner of the property did not know Braswell and said Braswell had no authority to rent out the property.
After a detective began investigating the case, Braswell contacted the would-be renters and returned their money to them. She also offered an additional $200 if the couple agreed not to pursue the criminal case with law enforcement.
When a detective tracked down Braswell, she claimed her phone, which had been used to set up the bogus rental transaction, had been stolen.
When she was 19, Braswell had been arrested in a burglary case in Leesburg.
Following her arrest Thursday, Braswell was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after posting $7,500 bond.