Local

Pregnant mother forced out of home due to Osceola rental scam

ST. CLOUD, Fla. — A man rented a home to a pregnant mother, who is now being forced out because authorities say the house is in foreclosure.

Christina Vazquez contacted Channel 9 after learning the man who rented the home to her doesn't own the property and it's in foreclosure.

"I feel terrible. I feel honestly ripped off and there's nothing no one can do about it," Vazquez said.

The tenant said a man named James Rodriguez Jr. rented out the four-bedroom house on Kentucky Avenue to her in June.

"I thought it was Godsend," Vazquez said.

But now, Vazquez, who has a 9-month-old and is pregnant with another baby, has lost $1,700 in rental and deposit fees. In addition, code enforcement disconnected the water to the home at one point because the account wasn't in Vazquez's name. She said she can't sign up for an account because of the fake lease.

The water was temporarily turned back on because Vazquez is an apparent scam victim.

Vazquez admits she didn't check the county's property appraiser website, which would indicate whether a property is in foreclosure.

"I hope he gets arrested and I hope he pays for this," Vazquez said.

St. Cloud police said the case remains under investigation.