Redlands Police have identified a man suspected of impersonating an aging rock star in order to con victims out of cash and expensive favors.

Police believe 47-year-old Walter Louellen Stearns is the man who posed as a member of the rock band REO Speedwagon and was wined and dined by local real estate agents, wooed by car dealerships and convinced two men to hand over $600 in cash with promises of gifts including new cars.

Stearns is a known felon wanted for questioning who also goes by the aliases Mark Gaines and Robert Bauconi.

Stearns has claimed in the past to be the lead guitar player for the rock band 38-Special and a former member of Lynerd Skynerd; owner of several music production companies; and the son of a Mafia kingpin.

The suspect, who on Saturday gave his name as Rob Valenti or simply Rob, told victims and others that he was a guitar player for REO Speedwagon and contacted local real estate agents, saying he was interested in buying property in Redlands as a tax investment.

The suspect spoke knowledgeably and persuasively about real estate and financial transactions and tax law, and convinced the agents he was a legitimate buyer. The agents showed him properties valued between $800,000 and more than $1 million, even beginning the preliminary paperwork on at least two properties, before buying him dinner and arranging accommodations for the night.

On Saturday night, the same individual met with two men and two women at a local restaurant. He again persuaded the four that he was a guitar player with REO Speedwagon and spent the evening, even having his picture taken with them. The suspect convinced the four that he wanted to buy them cars as a gift, which would provide him with a tax write-off.

He went with the two men, each in their mid-20s, to several local car dealerships, eventually picking out and beginning paperwork to purchase two Dodge Challengers and a Chevrolet Corvette. He explained that the final purchase would be handled by his attorneys for tax purposes and left the dealerships.

The following day he met with the men and convinced them to give him $300 apiece, allegedly for documentation fees on the two Dodge vehicles. He told them the cars would be ready to pick up at the dealership the next day.

In the meantime, the real estate agents and car dealers, discovering that they were unable to get in touch with the man on Sunday began to get suspicious of his identity and contacted police.
When the men returned to the dealership on Monday to pick up the cars, they learned that the vehicles had never been paid for and they also contacted police.

A search of band websites for REO Speedwagon showed no current or former band members by the name Rob or Valenti.

Stearns is described as 6 feet, 5 inches tall, about 200 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. The man who identified himself as Valenti matched that description in all but hair color, which was gray. Stearn, like Valenti, walks with a limp possibly due to an artificial right leg. The man who identified himself as Valenti claimed the limp was the result of hip replacement surgery.

Investigators say Stearn was dropped off Sunday at a hotel in Rancho Mirage by a pizza delivery driver who believed Stearn was a rock star.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Jesse Marquez at (909) 798-7534, ext. 3 or Redlands Police at (909) 798-7681.

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