About a month after police launched an investigation into the man who roams around door-to-door in Santa Clara County, allegedly looking for victims who will pay him upfront for landscaping he doesn’t complete, police arrested the alleged “landscape scammer” Monday night in Gilroy.
Gilroy resident Michael Oliveira, 43, the man who many people in Gilroy know as the suspected landscape scammer, was arrested at 8 p.m. at the National 9 Motel on Monterey Street where he was staying, according to Police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao. He was not arrested for anything related to landscape scamming, but for two outstanding, unrelated warrants.
“Because of the numerous reports of alleged activity for Oliveira, the investigations into the scams are still open,” Gallacinao said. When police wrap up their investigations, they plan to send the reports to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office who will handle prosecution of Oliveira from there.
Oliveira was arrested on a warrant for probation violation from Santa Clara County and a warrant for possession of stolen property from San Benito County. Oliveira did not resist arrest, and was taken to Santa Clara County Jail with no bail.
South Valley Newspapers wrote an April 24 story about a man who goes door-to-door under the guise of a charming landscaper, convincing victims (often seniors) to pay him upfront for services he never completes. Since that story, 12 more people contacted the Dispatch with strikingly similar stories of allegedly being scammed by Oliveira.
On May 7, Gallacinao said police had opened up an investigation and encouraged victims to contact, or re-contact police with any information they have on the landscape scammer. Since then, 12 people have filed police reports against the alleged landscape scammer.
Police are not yet identifying Oliveira as the suspect for all 12 cases.
