CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Coty Houston and David Yost came across a house they loved on Craigslist. The couple and their five children had outgrown their two-bedroom apartment, and Houston was itching to get away from their old neighborhood that was bustling with drug activity.

They loved the Brooklyn Centre home listed in the ad as soon as they saw it. When their five kids, ages 2 through 8, began planning what they wanted to do with the four-bedroom home, they knew they had to buy it.

Their dreams of a new life were shattered when they discovered the man who sold it to them had no right to do so, according to police.

Matthew Boros, 44, of Strongsville is charged with a fifth-degree felony count of theft by deception. The former real estate agent climbed through a window of the house and posed as the owner in order to scam the family out of more than $5,000, investigators said.

Boros' real estate license was revoked in April after he failed to apply for renewal. It was suspended a year earlier for the same reason, according to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.

He listed the four-bedroom home at West 36th Street home for sale on Craigslist. Houston and Yost contacted him and said it was exactly what they wanted. The price was perfect and the couple wasn't concerned that it was in disrepair because Yost remodels homes for a living.

The couple said Boros was a nice, accommodating real estate agent and that they never suspected anything was amiss.

They also didn't know Boros was previously was convicted in Bedford Heights Municipal Court for a scam that involved renting the same house to two different tenants.

The couple made a down payment and Boros told them that they could save money and expedite the sale if they could give him another $4,000. They gave him the money that day.

Yost began working on the house as soon as he could. It had been vacant for some time and drug paraphernalia and other debris left by squatters needed cleaned out. He also replaced the electrical wiring throughout the house.

He was working on June 22 when man who worked for a real estate company came to the house and asked why he was there.

The actual real estate agent called Yost later that day and threatened to call the police and report him for breaking and entering. The next day, Yost said the locks were changed and all his equipment was locked inside the house.

"That took the cake for me," Houston said. "When I heard that they were going to call the police and accuse of us breaking into the house, I got stressed. I couldn't sleep. That was all I could think about. I kept thinking, 'This is nuts.'"

Houston went to the Second District Headquarters that day. She brought payment records and records of a contract Boros had them sign.

The next day, they called Boros and told them they wanted their money back. Boros said he'd meet them and deliver more paperwork showing them he legally sold them the house.

When he showed up and refused to return their money, detectives waiting around the corner drove up and took him into custody.

For now, Yost and Houston will have to chalk up the $5,000. They hope to recoup the money if Boros is convicted and if a judge orders him to pay restitution. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and his case was bound over to a Cuyahoga County grand jury.

His attorney, James Goodwin, said he was recently appointed to the case and hadn't had time to familiarize himself with the accusations. Boros said in a text message that he would return messages but hadn't done so as of Friday morning.

Yost and Houston worked with the actual real estate company which sold them the house with a reduced down payment. They signed the deal on Wednesday.

The couple said they are still shocked that Boros would deceive them.

"How could he lie to the kids?" Yost said. "He met them a bunch of times and lied to their face."

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