PROVINCETOWN —Miami police have arrested a man suspected of being the Craigslist scam artist responsible for multiple vacation home rental swindles on Cape Cod and in Miami Beach, Fla.

According to police, Hencock Michael-Williams, 34, of Miami Beach, was arrested Friday, July 31 2009.

He is suspected of using a variety of aliases, including “Michael Reese” and “Michael Rath,” in several scams. He is being held in the Metro West Detention Center in Miami on $100,000 bail.

Michael-Williams, who is suspected of bilking multiple victims out of thousands of dollars put down as deposits on week-long vacation home rentals, has been charged with 10 counts of third degree grand theft. Three of those charges involve alleged Internet fraud for homes on Cape Cod and the others involve properties in Miami Beach.

However, there are at least eight other fraud reports in Truro and West Dennis discovered by the Banner that are not part of the original charges against Michael-Williams.

Miami-Dade Detective Richard Arias, who made the arrest, said he was able to identify Michael-Williams as a suspect because the fraud method mirrored a similar Internet scam the man was found guilty of two years ago. In that case, Michael-Williams, using a variety of aliases, convinced victims he was the owner of a luxury rental property. Payments from the would-be vacationers were sent to a Miami post office box where Michael-Williams would collect and cash the checks.

“It was all done very professionally. He lures the victim into a false sense of security and they agree to send him money,” said Arias, who arrested the suspect last week when he arrived for a court date on the previous conviction.

In that case, Michael-Williams, who was described as a complex introvert who spends most of his time on a computer, served no jail time but was ordered to make restitution to the victims. Ironically, that may have been what led him to allegedly commit new cases of Internet fraud.

“I believe he was using the money from the new victims to pay restitution to the old victims,” Arias said.

Michael-Williams faces a maximum of five years in a Miami state jail on each of the 10 counts. However, the Miami state Attorney General’s Office said that victim restitution is usually part of the sentencing process for third degree felonies, with which Michael-Williams has been charged.

“I would hope [Michael-Williams] would serve some time. He keeps doing it,” Arias said about the alleged crime.

Several of the victims on Cape Cod said they were happy about the arrest and would be contacting Arias to see if their case could be added to the charges against the suspect.

“Looking forward to hearing about the real deal on this guy. Revenge is best served…in Miami. 

Here’s to getting our money back,” Allison Rude, who was bilked out of $1,100 on a home in West Dennis she thought she had rented, wrote in an e-mail to the Banner.

“Hopefully something will stick and he will be held accountable,” e-mailed Meg Anderson, who also lost $1,100.

“I’m not sure we are getting any money back, but I’ll take justice,” said Jim Elgert, who lost $745 on a Truro home advertised on Craigslist.

Read on: Taunton Daily Gazetta