Accused serial scammer Rick Dugo opts for four bench trials after rejecting plea deals

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An accused Lake County, Illinois, con artist has decided to take his chances at trial.

CBS 2 Investigator Dorothy Tucker has been following the case of Rick Dugo for more than a year.

Dugo faces 12 charges; including theft, deception, conspiracy, and money laundering involving four different people and upwards of $ 1 million lost.

Last year, when Tucker told Ricky Dugo she had talked to numerous people who reported being scammed by him, he responded, "It's a lie."

Prosecutors offered him multiple plea deals this year, but Dugo turned all of them down – instead choosing four separate bench trials, one trial for each victim.

The first case is scheduled to begin November 14th.

The biggest loser was Tim Donovan.

"He's a complete fake," Donovan said of Dugo last year. "He's a phony. He's a scammer."

And there were numerous scams. Dugo convinced Donovan to invest in big money-making ventures - to sell cars, appliances.

But the scheme that made Donovan wipe out his 401(k) and drain his children's college fund was a chance to build a car wash - not just any car wash, but a car wash in the Trump Tower parking garage.

Donovan said last year that his first reaction was: "Wow, this is great. This is it."

It was anything but great, with total losses amounting to $769,000.

"He's a monster," Donovan said of Dugo last year. "He really is."

The crimes in the cases against Dugo date to 2013. The charges connected to the three other victims involve selling electronics, Rolex watches, furniture, motorcycles, and bad bank loans.

In a recording obtained by the CBS 2 Investigators, an angry victim begged Dugo to repay the money. 

"I just want my money back, Rick," he told Dugo. "How do I get my money back?"

"I know what you gave me. You know what you gave me. It's yours. I'm giving it back to you," Dugo was heard telling him. "When I say ASAP, ASAP is in a month."

But that never happened. None of the victims ever saw a dime. Now they want justice.

"I want him to do a lot of time for this," Donovan said.

Dugo is back in court next month. If he doesn't come up with all the restitution money by then, prosecutors indicated the deal is off the table.

Without a deal, Dugo may have to take his chances at a trial.