Woman Arrested Again After Allegedly Using Her Looks To Scam Victims Out Of $250,000

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — She has been called foxy, glamorous and charming. But authorities said Maria Christina Johnson is a serial con artist with a long history of fraud.

Investigators said she used her good looks to lure her victims through dating as well as home rental websites and had spent more than $250,000 of her victims' money.

They said she scammed at least six victims, their family and friends and several financial institutions.

They believe she got into their homes, looked through their personal information, stole their identities and opened up new credit cards. Detectives said the 43-year-old then checked into luxury hotels and charged up thousands of dollars in goods and services. She even tried to buy a car at one point.

Johnson is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday after being arrested on May 5 at a Santa Barbara hotel under the name of her latest victim, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

According to a statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Johnson has several aliases: Gia Hendricks, Maria Hendricks, Maria Christina Gia and Maria Hainka.

Investigators said she has been playing people for years and has felony fraud convictions dating back to 1997 in three states.

Stephanie Younger said she was duped by Johnson who hired her as an assistant to help run a Hollywood modeling agency in 2011. Younger gave her some banking information for direct deposit, but she never saw a dime.

"She would give me checks, and they would bounce," Younger recalled. "'Oh, I'll pay you back. Someone stole my cards. Someone did this. Someone did that.'"

If you think you have been duped, the sheriff's department urges you to come forward.