Mother, Son Scammers Charged Again

DENVER (CBS4)- A woman and her son have been charged in a new scam, allegedly committed while they were in jail for earlier, similar crimes.

Andres Torres has been charged with six counts of identity theft and six counts of forgery. His mother, Elena Romero, has been charged with one count of tampering with a victim.

The charges allege that Torres, 49, stole the identity of an acquaintance, then advertised a single-family residence for rent on Craigslist, identifying himself and claiming to be the victim of the identity theft to the unsuspecting renter.

Torres then allegedly forged lease agreements and checks made payable to the identity theft victim and enlisted the help of Romero's boyfriend to negotiate the checks. Romero, 76, is accused of contacting the identity theft victim and asking him to lie to investigators.

Torres and Romero were indicted in 2014 for violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. Torres is still currently serving a 25-year community corrections sentence. Romero is still serving four years probation.

Torres was taken into custody on Nov. 18 and remains in custody on $2,500. He is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to be formally advised of the charges.

Romero was arrested in Adams County where she is being held in lieu of $5,000 bond.