Man pleads guilty to rent skimming scheme involving Coachella Fest attendants

A man pleaded guilty to 23 counts of grand theft on Monday for ripping off Coachella festival-goers of tens of thousands of dollars by claiming they could rent an Indian Wells home he did not own on concert weekends.

Robert Dennis Enriquez, 60, collected $55,600 over the course of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival weekends from nearly two dozen individuals who signed rental agreements to rent the Indian Wells home in April 2014, prosecutors said.

Enriquez entered his guilty plea Monday morning, averting a trial that had been expected to begin this week.

According to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant, Enriquez advertised on Airbnb.com and Craigslist.com that an Indian Wells home at 44134 Elkhorn Trail was available for rent during the festival. Enriquez allegedly had the 23 victims who responded to his listings sign rental agreements, with the promise that upon arrival, he would text them with instructions on how to locate the house key.

When the unsuspecting renters called to follow up, Enriquez did not respond to communications and they were unable to access the property, according to the declaration. All 23 victims had signed rental agreements to use the home on the same dates.

A sheriff’s investigation determined that Enriquez and his wife signed a rental agreement for the home in October 2013, but were served with an eviction notice just prior to the festival weekends for non-payment of rent.

The homeowner told sheriff’s deputies that he never gave Enriquez permission to rent or sublease the property, according to the declaration.