Friday, March 29, 2019

Woman sentenced to prison for scamming $20K from elderly Boulder County victim

Marina Thelma Scotti
A woman accused of ripping off thousands of dollars from an elderly Boulder County woman through a magazine subscription scheme has been sentenced to prison.

Marina Thelma Scotti, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of exploitation of an at-risk elder and was sentenced to six years in prison followed by five years of parole on March 15. Scotti will get credit for the 108 days she has already served in jail.

The exploitation charge, a Class 3 felony, carried a presumptive prison sentence of four to 12 years.

According to court records, Scotti has yet to be assigned to a prison and remains in custody at the Boulder County Jail.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the original 16 counts Scotti was facing after her arrest in 2017.

"This defendant preyed upon the victim and stole her money, her pride, and her sense of security," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. "The victim had a successful career and a very positive impact on our Boulder community; the defendant was able to take advantage of her due to her medical issues. Thankfully, the victim's friends intervened on her behalf and contacted the police.

"Securing justice for the most vulnerable victims is an absolute priority for the District Attorney's Office and a sentence to state prison is the just outcome."

Prosecutors said Scotti ran a company called Publications Marketing out of Florida, and from 2015 through 2017 called the victim to solicit money for magazine subscriptions. The victim was living on her own but was 89 at the time and suffered from dementia.

Prosecutors said the victim felt threatened by some of Scotti's calls and sent checks totaling more than $20,000 for magazine subscriptions she never received.

The victim, a former principal and vice principal at various Colorado schools, is now in a memory-care facility, according to the DA's office.

Full Article & Source:
Woman sentenced to prison for scamming $20K from elderly Boulder County victim

4 comments:

  1. I am glad she was caught and punished.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This woman did the same to my uncle, stealing around $15,000 as near as I can tell. She operated from the Tampa Bay area and my complaint to the Florida authorities went nowhere. Thanks to the Colorado authorities she is paying. But it seems likely she made off with millions. She is also a convicted felon for drug offenses.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This woman did the same to my uncle, stealing around $15,000 as near as I can tell. She operated from the Tampa Bay area and my complaint to the Florida authorities went nowhere. Thanks to the Colorado authorities she is paying. But it seems likely she made off with millions. She is also a convicted felon for drug offenses.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This woman did the same to my uncle, stealing around $15,000 as near as I can tell. She operated from the Tampa Bay area and my complaint to the Florida authorities went nowhere. Thanks to the Colorado authorities she is paying. But it seems likely she made off with millions. She is also a convicted felon for drug offenses.

    ReplyDelete