DOVER — A Florida man was indicted in Strafford County Superior Court
on five charges of stealing or attempting to steal over $1.5 million
from an elderly Rochester woman.
Assistant Attorney General
Brandon Garod obtained the grand jury indictments that allege Michael R.
Smith, 55, of Bohland Street in Avon Park, Florida, committed five
Class A crimes, which could come with enhanced penalties because of the
victim’s age, physical or mental condition.
The victim, identified
only as M.K., has died since at the age of 98 after the alleged crimes
occurred, according to the AG’s office.
Two of the indictments
allege that Smith obtained or exercised unauthorized control of the
victim’s money by transferring the money into his account, having
unauthorized checks issued to himself, and making multiple purchases and
ATM withdrawals. These events were alleged to have occurred between
Oct. 24 and Nov. 30, 2017, according to the indictments. The total
amount of the alleged theft was over $488,000, the AG said.
Smith was also indicted on three counts of attempted theft by
unauthorized taking. The indictments allege that between Sept. 7 and
Oct. 24, 2017, Smith provided three different financial institutions
with forged documents in attempts to steal $1.1 million, according to
AG.
If convicted, each charge comes with a maximum prison sentence
of 7 1/2-15 years. If convicted with the enhanced penalties, each
charge could be punishable by up to 10-30 years in prison.
The charges and allegations in the indictments are merely accusations and do not constitute guilt.
Full Article & Source:
Florida man indicted for bilking elderly Rochester woman
