Loan Scam Suspect's Twin Being Investigated

By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Oct 16, 2007

TAMPA - Detectives are working with police in Washington, D.C., to investigate whether the twin brother of a man police say is a con artist is responsible for a similar scam in that city.

Tampa police on Sunday arrested Jordan Gann, 26, of Massachusetts, at Hattricks, a pub and restaurant at 107 S. Franklin St., on a warrant charging him with felony organized fraud.

Monday, about 900 miles away, Danielle Hoch of Washington, D.C., said she had contacted police in her city and Tampa detectives about a man who she thinks is Jordan's twin brother, Simon. Hoch said she had loaned that man money during the month they knew each other.

Tampa police confirmed Monday that Hoch had spoken to detectives, who were working with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington. Simon Gann "is being investigated for something similar in Washington, D.C.," police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

A Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said that agency could not confirm whether Hoch had filed a report because of that jurisdiction's public records laws.

A Bookstore Rendezvous

Simon Gann - the name of his twin brother - is one of several aliases Jordan Gann uses, Tampa police said.

Police last week asked for the public's help in locating Jordan Gann, saying he had swindled a Bay area woman out of $750 by offering to help her with financial difficulties if she first opened a joint online bank account.

Hoch, 28, a nurse in graduate school at Georgetown University, said she met the man she thinks is Simon Gann at a bookstore. He took her to view a house he said he was thinking of buying that cost $11 million, she said. According to her, he later asked her to purchase a $600 suit and other items for him after he said he lost his debit card.

She thought her training as a nurse made her less skeptical. "We're trained [that] you don't judge, you look past this and think, How can I help this person? And I think that's what I got sucked up in: 'All these terrible things are happening to him,'" Hoch said.

Tampa police Detective Curtis Smith said Sunday that he had fielded about 50 calls from people in Florida about Jordan Gann since local media publicized his picture, but he could not say how many victims there were.

"He makes no excuse for what he's done. He does say he basically cons people," Smith said.

Prosecutors said Jordan Gann is wanted in New Hampshire on fraud charges and has traveled through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah, Arizona, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Arkansas.

Doctors' Names Among Aliases

Hearing of his multiple aliases, Circuit Judge Walter Heinrich on Monday ordered the man held without bail "until we determine who he is."

Jordan Gann's aliases include Simon Wilkes, Charles Morales, Dr. Jonathan Marino and Dr. Shawn Cohen - the name David Mangione, 31, a co-owner of Hattricks, said Gann used at the pub Sunday shortly after saying he was an attorney for Marriott hotels.

"How good of a con man could he be if he couldn't keep his story straight within 30 minutes?" Mangione said Monday.

Gann, wearing floral swim trunks, a T-shirt and flip-flops, told Mangione he wanted to throw a corporate party at Hattricks for at least $15,000. The price seemed steep for such a casual place. Mangione excused himself and searched for the "doctor" on the Internet. He called police after finding news stories with the man's picture.

"Everything about him just screamed, 'I'm lying,'" Mangione said.

News Channel 8 photojournalist Kate Caldwell contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.