BYU Student Talks about Roommate Scam Artist

BYU Student Talks about Roommate Scam Artist


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Nishi Gupta reporting Three BYU students recently welcomed a fourth roommate into their home. But in a matter of days he ended up cleaning house.

They thought they'd found a new friend. He said he was from Ireland To them, he was charming and fun. They loved his Irish accent.

They soon learned the hard the way: It was all an act.

They knew him as Joshuah Moriarty, police say it is just one of nine aliases. His real name: Joshuah Shelley.

He joined them on Friday, but by Monday he'd disappeared with an estimated 7,000 dollars worth of stuff.

BYU Student Talks about Roommate Scam Artist

Brendan Rowland showed us what went missing: Clothes from bedrooms, including LDS garments, a laptop, iPod accessories, to name a few.

The only things he left: his watch and a book, interestingly enough, called "Deception Point."

When he first came on board, Shelley signed this contract, saying the deposit was on its way.

Brendan Rowland, Roommate: "He did a fake phone call saying his mom was going to wire the money from Ireland, he was smooth. He knew what he was doing."

BYU Student Talks about Roommate Scam Artist

But Brendan Rowland says that's not the only lie. He says the roommates were also told Joshuah was a recent convert to the LDS church, and served a mission in Canada. He also said he was a professional BMX biker and was on a rugby scholarship to BYU.

Police say Shelley has quite a criminal record. He has two warrants out of Colorado and one out of California. Provo Police are working on getting a warrant for him as well.

Shelley's former roommates say he was last seen driving a Gold Subaru Forester, with Wisconsin Plates 592-GDP. Police say these plates are stolen.

Through this all, the roommates have maintained a positive attitude, managing to laugh at the lengths he went to: Such as bearing his commitment to the LDS faith at a church meeting this past Sunday.

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