Carolyn Jean Cassar, 61, received a sentence 14 months longer than federal court guidelines but two years fewer than what prosecutors had sought.
"This level of cold-blooded manipulation is beyond what even a normal fraudster exhibits," U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen told Cassar, who stood silently next to her attorney. Ericksen added, "You knew what you were doing to the victims
Cassar pleaded guilty in July to bilking her neighbors out of $840,000 over six years, using ever-more elaborate lies as she asked for increasing amounts of money
From 2006 to 2012, Cassar borrowed money from the couple in 375 transactions.
"As she earned the victims' trust and discovered that they believed everything she said, her lies became more frequent and more outlandish," Kim Svendsen, assistant U.S. attorney, told the judge.
"As a result of her lies, Cassar was able to have all the things the defendants denied themselves their entire lives, including lavish vacations and expensive furnishings for her home, and the victims were left with nothing," Svendsen said.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, Cassar persuaded the couple to give her money for travel to Washington, D.C., so she could attend to the affairs of her daughter's death in a car crash, including buying a dress for her burial.
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Rochester woman gets 5 years for bilking elderly couple
2 comments:
I think 5 years is adequate, but only if it's joined with restitution.
Life savings $840K = 5 years?
I would sentence this scheming predator to the maximum with full restitution til the day this crook dies. No mercy whatsoever - if I had my way it would be a life sentence that would send a strong message to all cowardly predators - don't even think about hitting on an elderly person.
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