Couple swindled nearly $136,000 from woman, 87, police say

Christopher and Lauren Kydes

An 87-year-old woman was moved into a retirement home, her condo was sold, and her bank accounts were cleaned out after a Lighthouse Point couple took over her life, Pembroke Pines police said.

Christopher Scott Kydes, 57, and Lauren Cohen Kydes, 55, are accused of stealing nearly $136,000 from the woman.

They were arrested Thursday and are jailed without bond on charges of elderly exploitation and theft, records showed.

According to arrest reports filed in the case, Christopher Kydes befriended the woman, obtained power of attorney over her affairs, moved her into a Deerfield Beach assisted living facility, added his name to her bank account and to her will, and threw out all her belongings before his realtor wife Lauren Kydes sold the woman’s Century Village condo.

Investigators say the Kydeses pocketed an estimated $135,895.

The investigation started in May of last year when an out-of-state relative became concerned after losing contact with the woman.

The relative alerted authorities and when police did a welfare check they learned the woman had been moved to an assisted living facility. Detectives found her and unraveled what had happened, police said.

The yearlong investigation revealed Christopher Kydes became a trustee on the woman’s trust, became a joint account owner on the woman’s bank accounts, obtained a quit claim deed on the woman’s Century Village condo, became her healthcare surrogate, and was added to her will as a beneficiary.

A court-appointed guardian was assigned to the woman to stop the Kydeses from accessing any of her accounts, police said.

Bank records showed the woman’s retirement accounts were emptied and some of the woman’s funds were deposited into businesses owned by the Kydeses. Funds were then funneled between business accounts for their personal use, investigators said.

Police suspect there may be more victims and they are asking anyone who knows the couple or has information about any fraudulent activities to contact Pembroke Pines police at 954-431-2200. Anonymous tips can be sent to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at browardcrimestoppers.org.

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Couple swindled nearly $136,000 from woman, 87, police say