A Nevada man allegedly took over vacant properties in the state and rented them without the owner’s knowledge. The Nevada Attorney General announced the arrest of Steven Patrick Nohrden, 36, of Las Vegas. He is charged on two counts of burglary, two counts of theft and two counts of obtaining money under false pretenses. The AG claims Nohrden gained control of the properties and made misrepresentations to renters, purporting to have authority to rent the properties. The renters moved in and made rental payments to Nohrden. When the true owners figured out the scam, they notified authorities. “Las Vegas has a large number of vacant properties, which may be checked on infrequently,” said Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto. “It is this office’s goal to ensure that these properties do not become targets for opportunistic scams, which may harm the true owners of the property as well as the entire neighborhood.” The city has one of the largest inventories of foreclosures in the wake of the housing meltdown. Write to Kerri Panchuk.