LEWISTON — The man accused of scamming multiple people into renting a Lewiston apartment he didn’t own had his first court appearance Wednesday, while more details of his setup have been released in a police affidavit. 

Nathan Poulin, of 88 Bartlett St., was arrested by Lewiston police Tuesday after being sought on a warrant since mid-July. He was charged with four counts of theft by deception for duping four people into giving him a total of $2,460 in security deposits, but more charges could be coming, according to police. 

According to the affidavit released Wednesday, Poulin placed ads on Facebook and the real estate website Trulia.com, advertising the apartment at 711 Main St., Lewiston. All four victims made arrangements with Poulin to view the apartment, and subsequently gave Poulin payments ranging from $60 to $1,100.

According to the affidavit, another police officer was assigned at least two more fraud complaints regarding Poulin and the Main Street rental, but no other details were given. 

Shortly after the complaints began coming in to police, Heather Coulombe, a mother of four, described to the Sun Journal how Poulin sold his act. Coulombe paid Poulin what she described as her life savings — $1,100 for a security deposit and rent. 

“He brought me in and he told me all kinds of stories about how his grandfather had owned the place,” Coulombe said. “He said he just wanted to get a good tenant in there and that everything would be fixed up for us.”

When she arrived on July 17 to pick up the apartment key, instead of meeting Poulin, she met Charles McKay, who was also there to pick up keys to the apartment he’d been promised.

The actual landlord of the building, Richard Calcagni, also arrived July 17 and told them both they had been scammed. Calcagni, 82, told police that he has never met Poulin, and he denied giving anyone permission to rent or take a deposit for his apartment. 

Two days earlier, according to the affidavit, McKay viewed the apartment with Poulin and then walked with him to a nearby Cumberland Farms ATM to withdraw $500, and was given a written receipt for the transaction. 

Coulombe had a similar experience. She viewed the three-bedroom apartment on July 16. When she first got there, she met with a female who police later identified as Chelsea Landry, the current tenant of the apartment who was moving out.

Coulombe told police that Landry confirmed that Poulin was the landlord of the building. 

According to the affidavit, after agreeing to rent the apartment from Poulin, Coulombe requested a written agreement, but neither had a pen, so the pair walked to a neighboring Burger King and borrowed a pen. Coulombe gave Poulin cash and received a written rent receipt. 

When the Lewiston police officer first made contact with Poulin over the phone, Poulin told the officer that he was helping his friend (Landry) sublet her apartment and “he alleged that it was a misunderstanding.” The officer requested that Poulin come to the police station, but he declined. 

Calcagni told police that he had initially rented the apartment to another woman, but later found out that she had moved out and allowed Landry to move in without notifying him. He told police that he attempted to remove Landry because she was not paying rent but was advised he should go through the eviction process. 

The two other victims named in the affidavit are Cassandra Gagnon and Christopher Ouellette. Gagnon, along with her fiancee, Loretta Pottle, gave Poulin $980 in cash. Gagnon told police that Poulin gave her the “runaround” when she tried to obtain the apartment keys. She also arrived at the residence July 17 and was confronted by Calcagni, who told her it was a scam. 

Friends of victims have since set up GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns online. Coulombe’s goal of recouping the $1,100 was met within just a few days, on July 20. 

Poulin was returned to the Androscoggin County Jail where he was being held Wednesday night on $260 cash bail.

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