Mankato woman charged with grifting $36K from vulnerable adults

MANKATO — A Mankato woman was charged with felony theft, financial exploitation and credit card fraud after she allegedly stole more than $36,000 from two vulnerable adults.

Roberta Kaye Johnson, 68, is accused of spending thousands of dollars through the victims’ Discover Card account starting in August 2018 to feed a gambling habit, according to court complaint in Blue Earth County District Court.

In addition, Johnson allegedly took almost $22,000 out of a bank account in the victims’ name to cover the credit card debt with slightly more than $15,000 left to pay on the card.

Mankato police received a tip in July from Blue Earth County staff who were concerned the victims were being financially exploited. Staff had contacted Discover Card’s legal team and reviewed the victims’ financial statements, where they found the increasing credit card debt.

The victims told police they paid their own bills with the help of Johnson’s spouse and didn’t use the card. Police visited Johnson and her spouse in August, where Johnson told police she had used the card to cover gambling debts and intended to pay the debt back, court records said.

Police later found Johnson had allegedly used one of the victims’ bank accounts to cover the credit card debt. Detectives found Johnson had deposited $150 into the bank account in April and had paid $525 toward the credit card.

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Mankato woman charged with grifting $36K from vulnerable adults