ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — Police in Adams County have charged a former Conewago Township resident with stealing more than $300,000 from more than 30 people, many of whom he personally knew, over a two-year span beginning in late 2019.
Michael W. Hertz, 27, is charged with 10 felonies and five misdemeanors, including theft by deception, identity theft, receiving stolen property, illegal use of a computer, criminal use of a communication facility, and computer trespass -- illegal transfer, according to Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett, who announced the charges Monday in a press release.
Hertz was arrested Friday and is currently in Adams County Prison on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for April 28, Sinnett said.
"Hertz allegedly used a variety of different schemes to deceive victims into providing him money under false pretenses, and also in some instances allegedly obtained access directly to victims' bank accounts and directly transferred funds to his personal bank account without prior authorization," Sinnett said in the press release.
Conewago Township Police spoke to more than two dozen of Hertz's alleged victims, according to the criminal complaint. All of them claim that Hertz scammed them out of various amounts of money, from as little as $601 to as much as $45,000, the complaint states.
Most of the alleged scams involved the victims purchasing items from Hertz that had been listed on social media. The items ranged from bottles of absinthe to video game consoles and weights and gym equipment. The victims would purchase the items and provide funds to Hertz, who did not in turn give them the items, according to the complaint.
One victim claimed Hertz asked him to give him the password to his Venmo account, claiming he needed help setting up an account for a friend. After receiving the victim's password, Hertz allegedly accessed the victim's account and used it to transfer money to his other scam victims.
The victim was able to identify 54 of those transactions, police say.
Another victim, who claims Hertz scammed her out of $15,585, claims she provided Hertz with funds to invest in the stock market. Since she was unfamiliar with stock trading, she gave Hertz her phone to facilitate the transfer of funds, according to the complaint. Hertz then began transferring large amounts of the victim's money through payment apps like Venmo and Cashapp to other alleged scam victims, without repaying her, police say.
Investigators are still looking into Hertz's alleged actions, Sinnett said.
Anyone who believes they have been scammed by Hertz is encouraged to contact Conewago Township Police.
