Western, Pa. man to stand trial in property con game

CANONSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A southwestern Pennsylvania man will stand trial on charges that he conned people by collecting sales or rental deposits for properties he didn’t own.

State police say they learned about 30-year-old Walter James Moore, of Waynesburg, when a man told police last month he paid a $1,000 deposit to buy property Moore advertised in a local circular. The man found out he had been scammed when he saw a bulldozer on the property and was told Moore didn’t own it.

Police placed their own ad in the publication seeking property and arrested Moore last week after he offered to sell them 57 acres he didn’t own.

Police believe Moore scammed nine people out of more than $1,800.

Moore didn’t comment when he waived a preliminary hearing on theft and other charges Thursday.