Deputies: Tampa man faked kidnapping to cheat on his wife

TAMPA — A Tampa man led Hillsborough sheriff's deputies on a wild goose chase Wednesday night after telling his wife that he had been kidnapped.

It was just a ruse by a cheating spouse, authorities said.

Wikler Moran-Mora, 38, told his wife that he'd been abducted so he could cheat on her, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

When she told him she was calling police, Moran-Mora balked, telling her that his captors had agreed to let him go.

It was too late. About 20 deputies already were searching for him. They tracked him down to 3650 W Waters Ave. by tracing his cell phone.

He was arrested on a charge of giving a false report to law enforcement. Carter said the investigation cost $4,000.

Moran-Mora was released from jail on $500 bail. According to jail records, he works for a Tampa church, Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement, at 10306 N Nebraska Ave.