Savannah man arrested for exploitation of an elderly person in Evans County

By Summer Swanson

EVANS COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - The GBI announced they have arrested and charged 51-year-old Duane Ellington Nunnally with Exploitation of an Elderly Person, Filing False Documents, and Theft by Taking.

Back in August 2025, Evans County Probate Judge Darin McCoy filed a report regarding potential elder abuse. As the investigation into the the exploitation of an elderly individual progressed, the Evans County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI for assistance.

The investigation led to Nunnally’s arrest on Monday, January 26.

Nunnally was booked into the Tattnall County Jail.

The GBI says once the investigation is complete, the case will be given to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Nunnally released the following statement after the arrest:

All those fake charges that are being made against me are fraudulent. Everyone knows the type of man I am— a community leader, a stand-up guy that treats every race with dignity. This is a family dispute over my father. My friends at the U.S. Marshals Services contacted me about the allegations and charges. They then took me to Tattnall County jail privately and I was released.

Duane Nunnally

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Savannah man arrested for exploitation of an elderly person in Evans County 

Woman arrested in Spring for Exploiting the Elderly

By Montgomery County Pct. 3 Constable

In October 2024, detectives from Constable Ryan Gable’s Criminal Investigation Division were alerted by the Pawtucket, Rhode Island Police Department about a case involving the financial exploitation of an elderly person. The perpetrator impersonated a bank employee over the phone, misleading the victim into believing they needed to transfer their funds to a new account due to a security breach of their current one. Bank records provided by the Pawtucket Police identified the suspect as Dylesiya Maqwon Jackson, a resident of Spring, Texas.

Following an extensive investigation that included examining the suspect’s social media and gathering surveillance footage from local banks, detectives were able to obtain arrest warrants for the charges of Exploitation of an Elderly Person and Theft from an Elderly Person, both categorized as third-degree felonies. Dylesiya Maqwon Jackson was arrested on March 31, 2025, and booked into the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Jail.

Constable Gable and the dedicated team at the Montgomery County Pct. 3 Constable’s Office remain steadfast in their mission to protect the elderly in our community.

Source: Lieutenant Ken Washington, Montgomery County Pct. 3 Constable’s Office

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Woman arrested in Spring for Exploiting the Elderly

Hialeah man accused of stealing $50K from 95-year-old mom in exploitation case

Manuel C. Diaz Hernandez, 72, is facing charges including exploitation of an elderly person in an amount over $50,000, grand theft of a person over 65, organized scheme to defraud and unlawful use of a two-way communications device, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said Wednesday 

By NBC6

Manuel C. Diaz Hernandez

A Hialeah man has been arrested after authorities said he exploited his 95-year-old mother out of tens of thousands of dollars, leaving her unable to pay her rent.

Manuel C. Diaz Hernandez, 72, is facing charges including exploitation of an elderly person in an amount over $50,000, grand theft of a person over 65, organized scheme to defraud and unlawful use of a two-way communications device, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Authorities said the victim had been living alone in her Miami apartment following the death of her 92-year-old husband after 40 years of marriage and had collected more than $57,000 from a settlement related to his death.

The victim had asked her deceased husband's adopted son to help her with the settlement money, and he came to Miami to assist her in opening a bank account.

Meanwhile, Diaz Hernandez, who hadn't had significant contact with his mother until her husband's death, began taking an interest in her and convinced her he was better able to assist her since he was a "blood relative," authorities said.

Diaz Hernandez was added to his mother's bank account, then helped her move $50,000 of the settlement money to a joint account, prosecutors said.

After the money was moved, $7,000 disappeared, and between March and August of 2022, the balance dropped to zero, leaving the elderly mother with no way to pay her rent.

"All the money was gone. And the little bitty fortune that her husband left was basically gone," the victim's stepson, Andres Ramos Jr., told NBC6.

The State Attorney's Office was able to find emergency housing for the woman.

“It is always inconceivably sad when a son, or a daughter, or another family member sees an elderly relative as an exploitable target," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Too many of our older residents are vulnerable to exploitation. In this case, our Elder and Vulnerable Adult Unit was able to intervene to keep the victim housed. Today’s arrest is another strong statement by my office and our law enforcement community that we will not tolerate the victimization of our elder and vulnerable residents."

Diaz Hernandez was booked into jail. Attorney information wasn't available.

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Hialeah man accused of stealing $50K from 95-year-old mom in exploitation case

Floyd County caretaker arrested for elderly exploitation, sheriff’s office says

By Atlanta News First staff

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The caretaker of an elderly Rome resident was charged with defrauding the man out of thousands of dollars, according to the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office.

David Allen Jenkins was arrested on Nov. 17 on a felony charge of exploitation of an elderly person, the sheriff’s office said.

According to the arrest warrant, Jenkins is accused of “knowingly and willingly” exploiting the man, for whom “he was supposed to be a caretaker.”

The warrant also states Jenkins is accused of defrauding the man and stealing thousands of dollars from him between July 1 and Oct. 13, 2023, making online purchases and Cash App transactions and taking cash advances.

Several online banking apps were also “created without the knowledge of the victim,” according to the warrant.

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Floyd County caretaker arrested for elderly exploitation, sheriff’s office says

Hartford woman charged with exploitation

by Scott Cousins

EDWARDSVILLE – A Hartford woman faces several felony charges relating to the alleged financial exploitation of an elderly person, according to criminal charges filed Dec. 2 by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Melissa M. Tankersley, 47, of Hartford, was charged Dec. 2 with two counts of unlawful financial exploitation of an elderly person, both Class 1 felonies; theft of property over $5,000 by deception from an elderly person, a Class 2 felony; and wire fraud, a Class 3 felony.

The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.

According to court documents, between Jan. 1, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021 Tankersley allegedly used a position of “trust and confidence” to obtain control of more than $15,000 belonging to a woman who was 70 years of age or older; and made “substantial purchases” on the internet using the victim’s money.

Bail was set at $100,000.

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Hartford woman charged with exploitation

Rome man charged with exploitation of an elderly person

By Doug Walker

A Rome man faces a list of charges after he allegedly made threats against an elderly woman, threw a bat at a man and spit on police, reports stated.

According to Floyd County Jail reports:

Edward Lamar Baker, 55, was picked up at his home Monday by Floyd County police, who reported that he inflicted mental anguish on an elderly woman by punching out a couple of windows and threatening to blame her for his injuries.

Baker also threw a baseball bat at a man before police took him to the hospital, where he is accused of spitting on officers.

Baker is charged with felony exploitation and intimidation of an older person along with misdemeanor criminal trespass, two counts of willful obstruction of officers, simple battery against police, disorderly conduct and public drunk.

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Rome man charged with exploitation of an elderly person

A Burk woman accused of stealing from an elderly woman with a broken hip was indicted

Cynthia Lynn Black (Photo: Courtesy/Wichita County Jail)

A Burkburnett woman suspected of swiping over $20,000 from an elderly nursing home resident recovering from a hip fracture has been indicted, court records show.

Cynthia Lynn Black, 46, has been charged with exploitation of an elderly person, according to court documents. 

 A Wichita County grand jury indicted Black on Dec. 19, court records show.

Black was free Monday from Wichita County Jail on a $10,000 bond, according to online jail records. 

If convicted of the third degree felony, she faces up to 10 years in prison. 

An arrest warrant affidavit gave this account: An Adult Protective Services representative reported an incident of adult exploitation to Burkburnett police on Jan. 24.

The victim was an elderly woman living alone when she suffered a broken hip. She was moved into a Burkburnett nursing home. 

She hired Black as an assistant to run errands such as buying personal items for her.

The nursing home resident would sign a blank check and give it to Black for those purchases. 

An APS investigator found that $21,532.08 of questionable charges were taken from the victim's bank account over a four-month period.

The elderly woman told the investigator that all of those checks were unauthorized.

On Feb. 4, detectives went to the nursing home to speak to the victim.

She told them that Black was only supposed to go to Walmart or United Supermarkets to purchase items for her.

The elderly woman said Black brought her the things she needed but first pulled the tags off them. Black did not give her receipts.

The nursing home resident said she had no idea how much money Black had been taking out of her account. She was not getting her bank statements.

Black had apparently changed the mailing address to have all of the victim's mail delivered to Black's address.

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A Burk woman accused of stealing from an elderly woman with a broken hip was indicted

Affidavit: Woman assisting elderly person with broken hip stole $20,000 using blank checks

Cynthia Lynn Black

While assisting an 84-year-old who suffered a hip fracture, a woman reportedly stole over $20,000 using signed blank checks intended for the purchase of necessary items for the elderly woman.

Cynthia Lynn Black, 45, is charged with exploitation of an elderly individual – a third-degree felony.

She was out of the Wichita County Jail Thursday afternoon on $10,000 bail.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit:

A representative with Adult Protective Services reported a case of adult exploitation to the Burkburnett Police Department on Jan. 24.

APS turned over a large packet of information to detectives.

The intake documents stated that the victim had been living alone and managing her own finances when she suffered a hip fracture. She was moved into nursing home in Burkburnett.

The victim enlisted the services of Black as an assistant to run errands for her, including purchasing personal items for the victim. She said she would sign a blank check and give it to Black to makes these purchases.

In December of 2017, Black reportedly began writing checks of questionable amounts.

The APS investigator reviewed the victim's bank records and found $21,532.08 of questionable charges were taken from the victim's account over a four-month period.

The investigator asked the victim about the checks and the victim noted all of the checks that were unauthorized.

On Feb. 4, detectives went to the nursing home to speak to the victim.

The victim said Black had taken over $20,000 from her. She told detectives she would sign a blank check twice a week and give it to Black to purchase personal items that the victim needed.

She said Black was only supposed to go to Walmart or United Supermarkets to purchase items for the victim.

The victim said Black would bring her the things she needed but would pull the tags off them first and not give her a receipt.

She said she had no idea how much money Black had been taking out of her account because she was not getting her bank statements.

Black had reportedly changed Black's mailing address to have all of the victim's mail delivered to Black's address. The victim said Black was not bringing her the bank statements.

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Affidavit: Woman assisting elderly person with broken hip stole $20,000 using blank checks