Law Enforcement

Calling Robert John Koch a ladies' man is an understatement. Police say Koch, 51, is the "Sweetheart Swindler," a cunning con man who left broken hearts and empty bank accounts across the country during 10 years of scams that involved more than 100 women. Authorities believe that Koch may be involved in fraud cases in 28 states, from California to Virginia. Says police detective Kenneth Kopesky of Kenosha, Wis.: "He tells lonely women he's rich, and wines and dines them. The next thing you know, he cons them out of their money."

Koch, who has 100 aliases, was arraigned this month in Kenosha, where he was charged with bilking a 48-year-old woman out of $10,200 during a 10-day romance. After Koch proposed to the woman and the two went shopping for a wedding ring, she gave him money from a second-mortgage loan. Her friends, suspicious of Koch, hired a private investigator. Shortly after Koch's arrest became public, Kenosha officials began to receive reports from police departments around the country. If convicted, Koch faces up to 20 years in prison in Wisconsin alone for theft and forgery.