Pa. Police Arrest Man Who Skipped Several Hotel Bills

Aug. 31, 2012
Police said the man who passed as a hapless hotel guest was actually a skilled con artist who claimed he had been robbed of his wallet to persuade receptionists to let him have a room.

Aug. 31--Larry Raymond grew accustomed to the high life during his short stays in the city's finest hotels, where he dined in restaurants, patronized gift shops and enjoyed a cup of Starbucks coffee now and then.

He ran up hundreds of dollars in tabs -- police said he spent more than $1,500 at the Uptown Marriott -- and had it all billed to his room.

But Mr. Raymond never settled up.

Police said the man who passed as a hapless hotel guest was actually a skilled con artist who claimed he had been robbed of his wallet to persuade receptionists to let him have a room. At each of the seven hotels where police said he enacted the ruse, he promised to pay the next day, offering a phony bank statement as proof that he was good for it.

Mr. Raymond's lavish run came to an end late Wednesday when police arrested him in Room 216 of the Cambria Suites in Uptown less than an hour after he checked in. He told a manager his wallet and credit card had been stolen.

Mr. Raymond, 55, who has no permanent address, spent Thursday in the Allegheny County Jail. Court records show he was unable to post $50,000 bail.

"He's a nationwide con artist," said Detective Jack Mook of the city's Zone 2 police station, who began investigating Mr. Raymond's suspicious stay in Pittsburgh last week when the security director of the Omni William Penn Downtown told him about a guest who claimed his wallet was stolen and skipped out on a $753 bill.

That led the detective to charge Mr. Raymond with scams at the Sheraton Station Square, the Westin, the Downtown DoubleTree, the Marriott and Cambria. He tried to get a room at the Renaissance but "became nervous and left the building" when he was turned away, Detective Mook wrote in a criminal complaint.

Court records show Mr. Raymond has a criminal past that spans several cities, states and decades. Records indicate he has been charged countless times with similar offenses -- crimes such as fraud, larceny and writing worthless checks.

Mr. Raymond's crimes in Pittsburgh began Aug. 17, the detective said, but his reasons for staying in the city were unclear. He told real estate agent Racheallee Lacek he was searching for a Downtown apartment or condominium. She said she initially believed he was a wealthy retiree who was looking to relocate from Harrisburg and had lost his wallet at a 7-Eleven. His story soon crumbled.

After security officials at the Omni reported the theft there, Detective Mook suspected the man would hit other hotels. In fact, he already had.

Mr. Raymond left the Westin without paying $360; he skipped out on a $792 bill during a three-night stay at the DoubleTree; and he racked up a $1,559 tab in five nights at the Marriott, where he bought items in the gift shop, ate in the lounge, did his laundry and sipped Starbucks, the complaint says.

"At every hotel, he would just pick up and leave," Detective Mook said. "Just by the pattern and how he did it, my hypothesis was, he's only got a couple more to go and he's gone."

He enlisted the help of Ms. Lacek to help him track down Mr. Raymond. When he emailed to tell her he was at the Cambria Suites, she sent the detective a text message letting him know. Officers from the Zone 2 station quickly readied to capture him.

Detective Mook said the hotels were "cooperative and informative" during the investigation. "Without their help, I wouldn't have had him."

Sadie Gurman: [email protected] or 412-263-1878.

Copyright 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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