TOMS RIVER -- A Shore man has admitted to stealing more than $9,000 by renting the same house to three different people while turning the keys over to only one of them, authorities said Wednesday.
Keith Boyce, 54, of Ocean Gate, didn't even own the Lacey Township house that he claimed was for rent, yet he collected $9,200 in prepaid rent and security deposits from two people who thought they were going to move in, said Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato.
On the day he was set to go to trial, Boyce pleaded guilty Tuesday to theft and failure to file a state tax return, Coronato said.
The prosecutor said Boyce admitted to taking $7,500 on Jan. 12, 2014, from one woman as a security deposit, the first three months' rent and improvement fees for the house.
On Feb. 1, 2014, he accepted another $1,700 from another woman as a security deposit for the same home, according to the indictment.
The victims became suspicious when Boyce demanded more money before they were allowed to move in, Coronato said. They later learned that another person was the actual owner and the house was in foreclosure, he said.
The tax charge was part of a separate indictment, handed up in September, charging Boyce and his wife Camilla, 27, with failing to file New Jersey tax returns from 2011 through 2013.
The tax allegation against Camilla Boyce is still pending, Coronato said.
Under the plea agreement, Boyce will have to repay the victims all the money they gave him, before his sentencing. Prosecutors will recommend he serve probation rather than a jail sentence, Coronato said.
Coronato reminded prospective renters to conduct the appropriate research and to be aware of their rights before renting a home. The state Division of Consumer Affairs publishes a "Truth in Renting" handbook that is available at state.nj.us/dca/divisions/codes/publications/pdf_lti/t_i_r.pdf.
Individual judgment searches can done at njcourts.com under the public resource access tab.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.