Woman sentenced in Silicon Valley rental scam that allowed her to live rent-free
A woman who lived in pricey Silicon Valley properties rent-free for years by repeatedly scamming landlords and refusing to pay rent was sentenced to 28 months in jail, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said 62-year-old Menlo Park resident Rebecca Violette, aka Rebekah Violette, posed as an affluent investor while filling out rental applications, lying about her income and her prior history of evictions.
Violette wrote bad checks to cover the first and last month's rent payments. Once she gained possession of the property she refused to pay rent, forcing landlords to go through a lengthy and expensive process to evict her, the DA's Office said.
Violette used the scam over the past decade on several properties and has been previously prosecuted, convicted and sent to jail because of her actions.
She pleaded to three counts of grand theft, three counts of passing bad checks, and one count of attempted theft, the latter count coming after a prospective landlord Googled her name and learned of her previous scams before turning over the property, according to the DA's office.
"Renters and landlords should all be cautious. Anyone could fall victim to a well-honed scheme," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a prepared statement. "We encourage careful background checks before renting to anyone."
On June 26, a judge sentenced Violette to two years and four months in jail. She will serve one year in jail, followed by one year and four months of mandatory supervision.
In 2014, Bay Area News Group reported Violette was sentenced for the same type of scam to two years and eight months of jail, followed by 16 months of supervised release.