Police: Bridgeport man charged with using elderly Newtown woman's money to pay for car repairs

by Kendra Baker

Newtown police arrested a 64-year-old Bridgeport man on larceny and identity theft charges.
Contributed photo

NEWTOWN — A Bridgeport man is facing identity theft and larceny charges after police say he used a local elderly woman’s money to pay for repairs on his vehicle four years ago.

John W. Bratton, 64, was arrested and charged with first-degree identity theft and third-degree larceny on April 13 after a six-month investigation into a complaint about possible financial exploitation of an elderly Newtown woman.

An elderly caseworker filed the complaint with the Newtown police in September, saying that Bratton — who allegedly claimed to be assisting in the woman’s care — may have misappropriated her money, police said. 

Bratton — who allegedly told the caseworker he “wrote checks” from the woman’s checking account and “paid bills while she was in the hospital” — was not on any of the victim’s financial accounts, according to the warrant for his arrest.

Newtown police said they obtained copies of the victim’s financial statements from 2018 to 2022 and found a nearly $7,000 credit card charge and $833 check paid to a New York auto body shop for repairs to a 2013 Chrysler 300c in March 2019.

The charge and check receipts were signed with the victim’s name but the vehicle owner listed on the final invoice was Bratton, according to the arrest warrant.

The general manager of the auto body shop confirmed Bratton was the customer in the shop’s database, police said.

Upon comparing statements and signature samples provided by the victim to the signature on her driver’s license, police said they found the signatures were not similar to those on the receipts for the auto body purchase.

The victim provided a signed written statement to police saying she did not sign or approve the purchase, nor did she give Bratton “permission to sign her name for monies used at (the) shop,” according to the warrant for Bratton’s arrest. 

Police said she also said that Bratton sometimes “took advantage of (her) finances.”

A warrant was obtained for Bratton’s arrest last month after he declined to speak to Newtown police about the incident, police said.

Bratton was held on $25,000 bond before his April 13 arraignment at state Superior Court in Danbury, after which he was released on a promise to appear back in court May 11, according to court records.

Full Article & Source:
Police: Bridgeport man charged with using elderly Newtown woman's money to pay for car repairs