AYER, Mass. — One of Florida’s most wanted fugitives was captured in Massachusetts this week.
He’s accused of pretending to be in the military to solicit money for fake charities.
Kyle Barwan was arrested by Ayer police Friday – caught in his lies yet again.
Barwan, a fugitive from Florida, ended up living in Ayer, Massachusetts with a new roommate who felt his story wasn’t adding up.
“She thought his story was a little crazy and so she paid for a background check to be done on him, found out there was a warrant in Florida for him; gave us a call, we confirmed the warrant,” Ayer Police Chief Bill Murray said.
Barwan is wanted for impersonating military or uniformed personnel. It’s a crime he has served time for and officials say he has continued to commit.
He is accused of repeatedly telling women he’s in the military and duping them into giving him money for fake charities.
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One Florida victim – who didn’t want to be identified last spring – said Barwan tried his scam on her.
“He got into the, ‘I've served five terms in Iraq and Afghanistan … I was a green beret, I'm only here on leave,” she explained.
Police don’t believe Barwan committed any new crimes in Massachusetts and he likely won’t be able to. He is set to be extradited to Florida, thanks to one skeptical roommate who did her homework.
“I think it's fantastic police work by a citizen. It really is. It shows our partnership that we have with the people that live here in town. I just can't believe she went to these lengths to do it,” Chief Murray said.
Barwan was arraigned Monday and will be held locally until he’s extradited in mid-October.
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