He ran after his wife was sentenced to 85 years. Now he’s in a Las Vegas jail
A 40-year-old man who went on the run in December while awaiting trial on accusations that he helped his common-law wife scam the elderly has been arrested in Las Vegas, officials there confirm.
Paul Hill was using a different name — John Ray — and date of birth when he was arrested by Las Vegas police last month related to a business robbery. Officials there later discovered that he was wanted on Tarrant County warrants under the name Paul Hill, Clark County jail officials confirmed Wednesday.
Hill, believed by officials to be part of a Romanian crime group, had been free on bond awaiting trial in Tarrant County on charges of theft of property, money laundering and theft of service when his common-law wife, Desiree Boltos, was sentenced to 85 years in prison for scamming elderly people out of $1.6 million.
.JPG "DESIREEBOLTOS120180 (1).JPG")
During Boltos’ trial, prosecutors Lori Varnell and Ty Stimpson alleged that Boltos had teamed with Hill, whom she often introduced as her brother, to scam elderly people out of money and vehicles — a con commonly known as a “sweetheart swindler.”
Prosecutors say Boltos, with help from Hill, stole $1.6 million in cash alone from her six victims.
If the vehicles were included, along with a $500,000 house and credit card expenditures that the victims were also conned out of, the losses would be at least $3 million, Varnell has previously told the Star-Telegram.
Days after Boltos’ trial, prosecutors had filed a motion asking State District Judge Robb Catalano to require Hill to wear a GPS monitor for fear he might flee. Catalano approved the GPS bond condition that same day, and a bond hearing was set so the judge could formally order Hill to be fitted with the device.
But Hill did not show up at the Dec. 10 hearing, prompting warrants to be issued for his arrest.
According to a news release by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the man known as John Ray was arrested Jan. 16 on suspicion he had committed three business robberies across the Las Vegas Valley a day earlier. Clark County jail records show he faces charges there of robbery of the elderly, attempted robbery of the elderly with a deadly weapon and burglary while in possession of a gun.
