Maryland man jailed on charge of Plainfield puppy scam

A man from Maryland has been apprehended on a charge of stealing $990 from a woman in Plainfield by falsely claiming he had a puppy for sale.

About 10:20 a.m. on Monday, Romeo Jumbam, 35, of the 9800 block of Good Luck Road, Lanham, Maryland, was booked into the Will County jail on charges of theft by deception and wire fraud.

The charges filed Dec.29, accused Jumbam of telling a woman that he was the owner of business called Shiba Inus World and that he had a puppy for sale.

A Shiba Inu is a Japanese hunting dog.

Jumbam allegedly induced the woman into making a $990 Zelle transfer to his email account, even though he “knew that no such puppy existed,” according to the criminal complaint.

Zelle is a digital payment service that allows users to transfer money from their bank account to another user’s bank account.

The charges were a result of a Plainfield Police Department investigation.

Following the investigation, Judge Donald DeWilkins signed a warrant on Dec. 29 for Jumbam’s arrest that carried a $25,000 bond.

On Monday, Jumbam was arraigned and he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Judge Dave Carlson signed an order to allow Jumbam to be processed at the Will County jail and then released on a $10,000 recognizance bond, according to court records.

Carlson also assigned Jumbam’s case to Judge Vincent Cornelius.

Carlson modified Jumbam’s bond to allow him to reside in Maryland during the course of the case.

Jumbam’s next court date is Jan. 17.