Fort Lauderdale woman dupes disabled man into buying condo, putting her name on deed

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A Fort Lauderdale woman duped a disabled man into buying a condominium and putting her name on the deed, police said.

Althea Johnson, 66, was arrested Monday on a charge of elderly exploitation.

According to a Fort Lauderdale police report, Johnson was caring for Richard Shellene between October 2014 and December 2015 after he suffered a stroke and now gets around with the help of a wheelchair.

Police said Shellene listed Johnson as co-owner of the condo that he bought in March 2015 as part of a verbal agreement with Johnson.

In exchange for putting her name on the deed and giving her a $2,000 monthly salary, Johnson was supposed to move in with Shellene and be his caretaker.

Police said Shellene paid the entire amount for the condo out of his bank account and fully furnished a room for Johnson, paying for everything in it.

Instead of moving in, however, Johnson refused and tried to get half the value of the condo from him, police said.

"Considering the facts of this case, it is clear Johnson made the promises of moving in and becoming a caretaker to Shellene just to get her name on the deed," the report said.

Johnson was being held at the main Broward County jail on $10,000 bond.



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Fort Lauderdale woman dupes disabled man into buying condo, putting her name on deed