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A detective suspects Jordan Gann has a twin brother running similar scams in other cities.
By Dong-Phuong Nguyen Times Staff Writer
Published October 16, 2007
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TAMPA - When authorities arrested suspected scam artist Jordan Gann at a bar Sunday night, about the only things he owned were the clothes he was wearing: a white T-shirt, swim trunks and flip flops.
But his victims thought he was far from broke, police said. He also carried a piece of paper listing his bank account balance at $74-million.
Investigators say it was that document - doctored by taking letterheads from financial Web sites and copying them into Microsoft Word - that led Gann's victims to believe the lies he had apparently told: that he was everything from a pediatric oncologist to a high-priced lawyer; a Harvard grad to a successful real estate investor.
On Monday, Tampa police Detective Curtis Smith fielded phone calls from people all over the country who believe they have crossed paths with Gann, 26, also known as Simon Gann, Charles Morales, Simon Wilkes, Dr. Shawn P. Cohen and Dr. Jonathan Marino, just to name a few aliases. Gann, who often impressed single women with medical jargon, would persuade them to open up joint accounts with him, police said. He'd then clean out the accounts and move on to other victims.
Authorities had been searching for Gann, who apparently hitched a ride to Tampa on Friday with some people he met in Orlando who were headed to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to gamble, Smith said.
On Sunday, as Gann sat at the bar at Hattricks Tavern in downtown Tampa, he identified himself as a lawyer in town working on a big case. But he tripped up when he later said he was a doctor. The suspicious bar manager Googled one of the names Gann had given and found newspaper articles about the scams. He called police.
The detective described Gann's demeanor after his arrest as nonchalant. "He admitted that what he does for a living is con people," Smith said. "He wasn't apologetic, never said 'I'm sorry.' He said he'd rather con people or scam them than commit violent crimes to get money."
During his first court appearance in Tampa on Monday, a prosecutor said his scams also have been traced to New Jersey, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Arizona. In another twist, Smith said he believes Gann's identical twin brother, Simon, may be pulling a similar scam in other parts of the country.
Gann told Smith he hasn't spoken to his brother in five years.
"Based on the phone calls I received, that time frame would make it highly impossible for Jordan Gann to be in those places and doing the same thing," Smith said.
Staff writer Colleen Jenkins contributed to this report. Staff writer Dong-Phuong Nguyen can be reached at 813 269-5312 or at nguyen@sptimes.com.
[Last modified October 16, 2007, 07:28:22]
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