Story by Madison Montag
Police in Lancaster County this week charged a 67-year-old man after he funneled more than $85,000 from his parents’ bank account to pay for bills, liquor and hotel rooms, according to a police report.
Howard S. Smith, of Lititz, on Wednesday was charged with the financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, a first-degree felony, and access device fraud, a third-degree felony.
In December 2024, a family member contacted Ephrata Police about Smith stealing money from his parents. Between April and December 2024, withdrawals totaling $85,277.20 were taken from the elderly couple’s bank account, police said.
Investigators later learned Smith was given the power of attorney over his parents’ bank account in October or November 2024.
Bank statements showed several unusual payments on the couple’s account, including PayPal, a Capital One credit card, First Premier Bank, several restaurants, a car dealership, liquor stores and various hotels.
Detectives submitted search warrants to PayPal, Capital One and First Premier. Those searches showed Smith was making payments to himself and paying his bills from his parents’ bank account, police said.
Smith also used his parents’ money to pay for hotels and a vehicle, police said.
As of Thursday evening, Smith has an active warrant for his arrest.
Full Article & Source:
Lancaster County man charged with stealing $85,000+ from elderly parents: police
No comments:
Post a Comment