Port St. Lucie man accused of posing as licensed plumber, stealing $5,000 from Martin County woman

Robert Hibbert (Photo: ST. LUCIE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

MARTIN COUNTY — A man previously convicted of exploiting others and stealing in Florida, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania has been accused of stealing $5,000 from a woman in Martin County.

On Feb. 11, Martin County Sheriff's Office detectives responded to a call from the woman's daughter about a possible fraudulent incident, according to a complaint affidavit.

The daughter told detectives Robert Hibbert, 57, of the 300 block of Northwest Concord Drive in Port St. Lucie, had exploited and stole from her mother while he was working on her plumbing in Martin County.

The woman's daughter said on Jan. 28 she looked for a plumber online and contacted Hibbert about fixing her washing machine.

Hibbert told the daughter he was a licensed plumber, but records detectives obtained showed he doesn't have the license. 

After the work was done, the woman paid Hibbert $145 for the job. The woman's mother then asked Hibbert to look at a clogged drain in her home, detectives said.

The mother told detectives Hibbert asked her for $240 for the job he had previously completed and had been paid for by her daughter. She said Hibbert told her the plumbing work she needed was extensive and "she would have toilet paper leaking into the front yard and home" if she didn't get it fixed soon.

Detectives said Hibbert charged the mother $9,100 for the second plumbing job. 

Detectives said the daughter asked a plumbing company to look at the invoice Hibbert gave her mother for the $9,100 job. The company told the daughter the job should have only cost about $1,000.

The women said she looked through her emergency cash fund and found $5,000 missing. She told detectives the only person that had access to that room was Hibbert while he was doing the plumbing work. 

The mother called Hibbert and demanded $8,100 back. Hibbert apologized and sent back $5,000 and asked the woman not to call 911.

Hibbert was arrested on charges of exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult, grand theft, contracting without a license, and depositing with intent to defraud.

He was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail. Bond was set at $85,000.

Martin County sheriff's Detective Jennifer Jaques, who investigated the case, said Friday Hibbert was convicted in 1995 and 2000 in New Jersey on charges of theft by deception; and in 2011 and 2013 in Pennsylvania and Delaware, respectively, on charges of home improvement fraud.  

In 2017, Hibbert had an address in Vero Beach when a Palm Bay couple paid him more than $9,000 for home repairs that were not completed, according to an article in Florida Today. He identified himself as a licensed plumber. He was jailed in Indian River County on 10 charges related to work done on the Palm Bay home.

Jaques said there's a strong likelihood Hibbert took advantage of other people in Martin County. 

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Port St. Lucie man accused of posing as licensed plumber, stealing $5,000 from Martin County woman

Augusta woman accused of elderly exploitation denied bond

An Augusta woman accused of fleeing the state after learning she had been indicted on a charge of exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult was denied bond Thursday.

Serena A. Joyner, 41, was initially only charged with a misdemeanor offense following the death of a 61-year-old stroke victim Sept. 7. The Richmond County grand jury returned an indictment Nov. 6. When members of the Crimes Against the Vulnerable and Elderly went to arrest her the next day she was gone, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Pennington said during Joyner’s bond hearing Thursday.

Joyner was arrested Nov. 9 in eastern Ohio.

She had been hired to take care of the 61-year-old stroke victim. The day she died, Joyner used the woman’s debit card to make withdrawals and pay her own bills, Pennington said. She told investigators that the woman owed her $500 which she attempted to withdraw from the bank, but her own log showed the woman had been giving Joyner advances, Pennington said.

The investigation also revealed Joyner pawned several items that belonged to the victim, and had possession of the woman’s safes, Pennington said. A search of Joyner’s phone revealed texts between Joyner and her husband about breaking into safes, searching the woman’s home, and stealing the victim’s prescription pain medication, Pennington said.

Defense attorney Thomas McCants asked Judge Michael N. Annis to set a reasonable bond for Joyner who had no prior criminal record. McCants provided a letter from her husband’s employer showing he was working a job in West Virginia, just over the state line with Ohio. Joyner and their children were staying with him there since the start of November, McCants said.

Joyner’s attorney pointed out that an Augusta man indicted the same day as her who was charged with trafficking an elderly or disabled adult was granted a $140,000 bond. Joyner’s continued incarceration would cause her family financial hardship because her husband is in danger of losing his union job, McCants said.

Annis denied bond, saying he believed Joyner posed a significant danger of fleeing.

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Augusta woman accused of elderly exploitation denied bond

Augusta man denied bond in elderly exploitation case

An Augusta man accused of cheating a disabled neighbor out of more than $100,000 was denied bond Thursday.

Charles Miles, 50, is charged with exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult and unauthorized practice of law. At the conclusion of a bond hearing in Richmond County Superior Court, Senior Judge J. David Roper denied bond, finding Miles posed a danger to the community, is a flight risk and a potential threat to the victim in the case, a 67-year-old man disabled by a heart condition.

Miles was arrested Nov. 30 after exploiting money from his disabled neighbor for nearly a year, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Pennington told the judge Thursday. Miles promised to repay the disabled man when he inherited $350,000 and property. Miles first asked for $75,000, and then he kept going back for more money, often claiming need for medical treatment, Pennington said.

The disabled man was running out of money to pay his own expenses and started selling off his belongings. To keep the ruse of inheriting property going, Miles set up the neighbor with “an attorney” who texted the disabled man about Miles’ property deals, Pennington said. The texts became hostile and bullying, and when the victim told his daughter about the deal, she believed it was a scam, Pennington said.

The daughter made an appointment to meet with the attorney, a meeting Miles tried to ambush, Pennington said. The attorney was adamant she nether knew or worked for Miles.

When the Crimes Against the Vulnerable and Elderly task force executed a search warrant at Miles’ home, they found the phone used to send texts to the disabled neighbor, Pennington said. They also found forged receipts claiming to be from the probate court, she said.

Defense attorney Jared Williams countered that the evidence will prove that Miles and the disabled neighbor were very close, more like father and son than neighbors. The neighbor was helping Miles out of financial trouble, Williams said. While there will be a dispute over the total amount borrowed, Miles wanted to get bond so he can get a job and start paying the neighbor back, Williams said.

Miles’ criminal history includes charges for a 2004 aggravated assault, a 2001 cruelty to children and a 1991 escape.

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Augusta man denied bond in elderly exploitation case

Personal care home owner indicted on exploitation charge

The owner of an Augusta personal care business accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a patient was indicted Tuesday.

 

The Richmond County grand jury returned a one-count indictment against Maxine Hudson Donaldson, 51. It accuses her of exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years.

According to the indictment, Donaldson is accused of obtaining access to an Alzheimer’s patient’s bank account and taking nearly $28,000 between Oct. 26, 2016, and July 24.

The victim lived at Shavonna’s Place of Care on Fairview Avenue. According to the Department of Community Health, the agency tasked with regulating personal care homes, the home was in operation and had no violations cited in its latest inspection in March. The state agency’s website which provides open access to inspection reports of personal care homes was not in operation Tuesday.

Shavonna’s Place was not licensed and had not been inspected by a fire marshal when the department inspected in March. The home was licensed by the city after an April story by The Augusta Chronicle.

Donaldson operates a second personal care home, Maxi Maxi on Damascus Road.

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Personal care home owner indicted on exploitation charge