An Elgin man is accused of committing a “sweetheart scam” when he allegedly schemed $8,000 in cash and wheel rims worth $1,400 out of a Huntley man who has a “documented intellectual disability.”

Taye Sallis Lewis, 22, is charged with theft by deception of more than $5,000, a Class 2 felony, and unlawful use of a weapon, according to the criminal complaint in the McHenry County court.

Police said that between Friday and Tuesday, Sallis Lewis went to the alleged victim’s home in a black Nissan sedan at “predetermined times, multiple times over the weekend and had the means and information forwarded to him for how to obtain” the cash and rims “prior to taking possession” of them, Huntley police wrote in the criminal complaint.

Police said they became involved on Monday, when a family member who lives with the alleged victim reported to Huntley police that four automobile rims worth approximately $1,400 were stolen from his garage.

The following day, the resident returned to report that he also found nearly $8,000 in cash missing from the residence, a news release from Huntley police said.

The alleged victim “with an intellectual disability admitted to taking the cash and the rims to pay people who had been blackmailing him,” police said.

Authorities said the Huntley victim’s family “reported that the victim began communicating with what appeared to be an attractive young woman via an online dating app a few days prior.”

Once the two built a rapport, Sallis Lewis “requested money for living expenses and beauty maintenance, which was initially picked up at the residence by a male subject acting as a courier,” police said.

Police said the alleged victim “was extorted on numerous occasions over the next couple of days and ultimately provided thousands of dollars in cash to the same male subject.”

On Tuesday afternoon, another cash pickup was scheduled. This time police and detectives “collaborated” to safely intercept the handover of cash. When Sallis Lewis arrived he “was taken into custody by the Huntley Police Department with the assistance of an Illinois State Police task force,” police said.

He was identified as the person “who carried out all the previous cash pick-ups,” the news release said.

When Sallis Lewis was arrested Tuesday, police said they found a loaded Glock in his vehicle. The gun was “wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console” the complaint said. Sallis Lewis has a Firearm Owner’s Identification card but not a concealed carry license, police said. The case is still under investigation and more charges may be filed.

“We commend the family for supporting the victim and contacting the police for help. Scammers rely on fear, urgency, and embarrassment to trick victims, and they often target the same person again once they succeed,” police said. “By reporting suspicious activity early, residents can protect themselves and help police protect others.”

Police called the allegations a “sweetheart scam,” which they said occurs when “a criminal pretends to have a romantic interest online or by phone to build trust and then asks for money, gifts or personal information.”

Such scammers often use phony photos, profiles and elaborate stories to “manipulate victims emotionally,” authorities said.

Sallis Lewis made a first appearance in a McHenry County courtroom Wednesday, where Judge Cynthia Lamb released him from county jail pretrial with conditions including that he have no contact with the alleged victim.

He also was ordered to surrender all firearms and his FOID card to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office or Huntley Police Department within 24 hours of release. Sallis Lewis is due back in court Oct. 29. He was denied an attorney form the public defender’s office and no attorney was listed in his court file.