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Denver mother and son scammers charged again

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DENVER -- A Denver family seems to have trouble staying out of trouble, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Andres Torres, 49, and his mother, Elena Romero, 76, were formally charged Tuesday in another new scam, allegedly committed while they were completing sentences for earlier similar crimes.

The charges allege that Torres stole the identity of an acquaintance, then advertised a single family residence for rent on Craigslist, identifying himself and claiming to be the victim of the identity theft to the unsuspecting renter. Torres then allegedly forged lease agreements and checks made payable to the identity theft victim and enlisted the help of Romero’s boyfriend to negotiate the checks. Romero is accused of contacting the identity theft victim and asking him to lie to investigators. 

Torres and Romero were indicted in 2014for violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. They were convicted of racketeering scheme that cost several local businesses and financial institutions more than $900,000.

Torres is still currently serving a 25-year community corrections sentence; Romero is still serving four years of probation.

Torres was taken into custody on the new charges last Friday and remains in custody in Denver. Romero was arrested in Adams County where she is being held.

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