Man found guilty of exploiting 78-year-old Springfield woman in $300,000 scheme

A jury found a man guilty Friday of financial exploiting an elderly Springfield woman.

After a two-day trial in Greene County, the jury deliberated for about four hours before deciding Howard Roberts, 75, was guilty of a Class A felony for convincing the woman to invest more than $300,000 in his supplement business.

Roberts will be sentenced at a future hearing. He faces a possible life sentence.

Authorities brought the charge against Roberts in February 2016, accusing him of taking advantage of a then-78-year-old woman with bipolar disorder.

Roberts maintained his innocence throughout the court proceedings, claiming the woman freely decided to invest in his company, Maximum Performance, and she was involved in the business operations.

Maximum Performance was involved in making supplements for horses and human athletes.

Prosecutors say the company was based in Kentucky and was not registered to sell stock in Missouri, so Roberts broke the law when he sold the woman $250,000 worth of stock.

Roberts' defense attorney Adam Woody argued at trial that Roberts was not an expert in business law, but he tried to do everything right.

Woody said he was shocked by the jury's decision.

"The state did a good job presenting their evidence," Woody said. "We just certainly did not believe there was enough evidence there to find Mr. Roberts guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He tried to do things the right way during this stock purchase agreement."

In addition to the stock purchase, the woman also bought a truck and horse trailers for the company, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Roberts and the woman were friends in the 1970s and reconnected in late 2013 after Roberts was divorced and the woman's husband died.

Roberts eventually moved into the victim's east Springfield home and invited his ex-wife to move in as well, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Roberts tried to gain control over the woman's finances.

Investigators got involved in the case after the victim's family and friends expressed concerns and the bank noticed some irregular activity on her account.

The jury was not able to reach a unanimous decision after closing arguments on Thursday, but the jurors returned Friday morning and found Roberts guilty.

Woody said he plans to file motions asking for Roberts to be acquitted or get a new trial.

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Man found guilty of exploiting 78-year-old Springfield woman in $300,000 scheme