Augusta man denied bond in elderly exploitation case

An Augusta man accused of cheating a disabled neighbor out of more than $100,000 was denied bond Thursday.

Charles Miles, 50, is charged with exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult and unauthorized practice of law. At the conclusion of a bond hearing in Richmond County Superior Court, Senior Judge J. David Roper denied bond, finding Miles posed a danger to the community, is a flight risk and a potential threat to the victim in the case, a 67-year-old man disabled by a heart condition.

Miles was arrested Nov. 30 after exploiting money from his disabled neighbor for nearly a year, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Pennington told the judge Thursday. Miles promised to repay the disabled man when he inherited $350,000 and property. Miles first asked for $75,000, and then he kept going back for more money, often claiming need for medical treatment, Pennington said.

The disabled man was running out of money to pay his own expenses and started selling off his belongings. To keep the ruse of inheriting property going, Miles set up the neighbor with “an attorney” who texted the disabled man about Miles’ property deals, Pennington said. The texts became hostile and bullying, and when the victim told his daughter about the deal, she believed it was a scam, Pennington said.

The daughter made an appointment to meet with the attorney, a meeting Miles tried to ambush, Pennington said. The attorney was adamant she nether knew or worked for Miles.

When the Crimes Against the Vulnerable and Elderly task force executed a search warrant at Miles’ home, they found the phone used to send texts to the disabled neighbor, Pennington said. They also found forged receipts claiming to be from the probate court, she said.

Defense attorney Jared Williams countered that the evidence will prove that Miles and the disabled neighbor were very close, more like father and son than neighbors. The neighbor was helping Miles out of financial trouble, Williams said. While there will be a dispute over the total amount borrowed, Miles wanted to get bond so he can get a job and start paying the neighbor back, Williams said.

Miles’ criminal history includes charges for a 2004 aggravated assault, a 2001 cruelty to children and a 1991 escape.

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Augusta man denied bond in elderly exploitation case