The con man who called himself Captain Michael Hilton has left behind a string of victims in both California and Montana. The latest is a B&B owner in Hardin, who doesn’t seem to mind being swindled:
Meet Marcianna Smith.
She is the owner of the Kendrick House Inn at 206 N. Custer Ave. in Hardin, a bed-and-breakfast where Michael Hilton and several other people associated with American Police Force stayed in late September.
Smith said a check Hilton wrote to her for “about $1,000” has bounced. It came back with “account frozen” stamped on it, she said Tuesday. In addition to staying at the B&B, Hilton invited a lot of people to breakfast and put the bill on his tab.
Even so, Smith finds it hard to be angry with Hilton.
A thousand dollars is a big chunk of change. Perhaps, as time passes, Marcianna may find herself thinking less about cat-kissing and more about catastrophes. Her willingness to forgive is laudable, but her fond recollections of ‘Hilton’ reveal the con artist’s greatest weapon: Charm. Oodles and oodles of charm.
