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Couple accused of scamming veteran's volunteer out of $15,000 in scheme

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh couple are accused of scamming a volunteer counselor out of nearly $15,000.

This is a scam investigators believe lasted two years and involved nearly $15,000.

The Baldwin couple turned themselves in Thursday, and now will spend at least the next few days behind bars.

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“My God, it's the worst thing I've heard in my entire life,” said Melvin Smith, who works nearby.

Investigators say Nort and Jankowski posed online as “Jayke James,"  a veteran and former Pittsburgh firefighter who was suicidal.

A counselor in Denver befriended him, sending nearly $15,000 in cash, checks, and gift cards to help.

Neighbors tell Channel 11 that Jankowski and Nort had only been in the neighborhood for a few months and mainly kept to themselves, But what surprised them the most is that this couple posed as veterans, especially that they preyed on someone in a community that goes out of its way to honor vets.

Investigators say the suspects also went by other aliases to collect money, including “Ryan Jay."

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A Facebook page asking for donations to help Jay caught the attention Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones.

In January,  he warned that this was a scam since the department had no record of him ever working there.

Channel 11 has confirmed the man in that picture is Matthew Jankowski.

According to the criminal complaint, the two suspects confessed to the victim a short time later. It reads:

"A man who identified himself as Matt Jankowski told the victim that his wife (Kelly Nort) pretended to be "Jayke James" without his knowledge."

In another text a short time later:

"Kelly Nort stated that she needed to clear Matt Jankowski's name and she was getting help that she needed."

Despite turning themselves in this morning, the couple are being held in the jail on $25,000 straight bail.

When contacted late Thursday afternoon, their attorney questioned the accuracy of the criminal complaint, saying there was never a direct request for money.