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Accused Serial Con Artist Candace Clark Has Been Arrested

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Accused serial con artist Candace Clark has been arrested, following a series of CBS 2 investigations.

CBS 2 has been following Clark and found that she has been involved in several elaborate scams that have cost people across Chicago tens of thousands of dollars.

She's accused of ripping off everyone from seniors to millionaires.

CBS 2 Political Investigaior Dana Kozlov has more on how they finally nabbed her.

Victim after victim told CBS 2 Clark was the woman who conned them out of tens of thousands of dollars -  or rent money.

Fiori Hadera is one of those homeowners; renting her two million dollar Lincoln Park home to Clark - who never paid them a cent.

"It's very painful," said Hadera. "I hope they lock her up forever."

Now, a source tells CBS 2 Clark is behind bars at the District 11 lockup.  She was arrested Friday morning at a Gold Coast Starbucks by members of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Chicago Police Financial Crimes Unit.

They tracked her to the Starbucks where they called her cell, confirmed she was inside, and then swooped in to arrest her.

Quietly.

It's a moral, but not a financial victory for Hadera, who said Clark left her house damaged almost beyond repair.

"There is no hope to get money from her," Hadera said.

In Dorothy Tucker's reports, she showed how victims said Clark used fake documents she cut, pasted and put together like a puzzle to get people to rent to her.  Other victims said Clark hired actors to help her stage fake professional events, where in one case she impersonated a state official - also illegal.  All could potentially result in criminal charges.

 

Since the U.S. Marshals Service was also involved, it's unclear if Clark could be charged with federal or state crimes - or both.

 

She was wearing a hat, a t-shirt and had several fake ID's with her, according to police sources.

Catch up on CBS 2's previous investigations here. 

 

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