MsGiglz
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2003
- Messages
- 4,239
- Reaction score
- 0
(i dont know if its repost)..
I tried to get the link it wont let me get in.. http://webstar.postbulletin.com/pb/278639332427335.bsp
and the fully detail from my friend.. I was shocked... I knew those couple.. what a shame! feel betrayed!
August 21, 2003
By Matthew Stolle
The Post-Bulletin
A Rochester couple have been charged with swindling more than $100,000 from a deaf and legally blind woman after they had offered to help her with her financial matters.
According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, the 52-year-old woman
loaned $102,000 to Paul A. Mitchell, 50, and Debra S. Mitchell, 48, of 1618 Marion Road S.E., Lot 53, in a series of payments ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 over a 14-month period. The money allegedly was used by the Mitchells to buy a new bed and mattress pad, a television set and a truck.
The complaint states that the woman was afraid to refuse the Mitchells'
requests for money because Paul Mitchell would get angry when she did. The complaint said when money was returned to the woman, it was in small amounts. The couple also deducted amounts from what they owed the woman in exchange for services they once had given her for free. They charged her for rides, $200 for cleaning her house and $200 for helping her work on a computer.
Theft charges
Paul and Debra Mitchell have been charged with three counts of theft. If
convicted, they could get up to 20 years in prison and up to a $100,000
fine. Their first court appearance is Sept. 22.
The woman told authorities she was befriended by the Mitchells in September 1999 when she moved to Rochester after her husband died and she sold the family farm. She had nearly $137,000 in her savings account from the sale of her farm, the complaint said.
In July 2001, after the woman had loaned the Mitchells more than $100,000, a conservatorship was initiated to help her manage her finances. A psychiatrist who supported the petition found the woman to be functionally illiterate and dependent upon others to explain financial and business matters. Her husband had managed all of their financial affairs before his death in 1999.
Complaint details
According to the complaint, the woman said the Mitchells would assist her with financial matters, her computer, transportation and housekeeping.
Early in the relationship, Paul Mitchell recommended that the woman put her
money into a money market account. Eventually, the woman agreed, with
Mitchell taking her to the bank to open the account.
The Mitchells then allegedly began asking the woman for money. Paul
Mitchell would call and tell the bank that the woman wanted to transfer
money from her money market account into her checking account, so she could
cover checks to Mitchell for the loans.
The complaint describes a situation in February 2000 in which the couple
asked her to buy a television for them. They took her to Best Buy to write
a $567 check for the item. The woman said she did not want to buy the
television and was worried about the money that already was owed to her.
The woman said that when she got home, she asked the couple whether they
intended to pay her back. They said they would. But they never did, the
complaint states.
It also states that $5,240 out of the $102,000 loaned to the couple was
returned.
I tried to get the link it wont let me get in.. http://webstar.postbulletin.com/pb/278639332427335.bsp
and the fully detail from my friend.. I was shocked... I knew those couple.. what a shame! feel betrayed!
August 21, 2003
By Matthew Stolle
The Post-Bulletin
A Rochester couple have been charged with swindling more than $100,000 from a deaf and legally blind woman after they had offered to help her with her financial matters.
According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, the 52-year-old woman
loaned $102,000 to Paul A. Mitchell, 50, and Debra S. Mitchell, 48, of 1618 Marion Road S.E., Lot 53, in a series of payments ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 over a 14-month period. The money allegedly was used by the Mitchells to buy a new bed and mattress pad, a television set and a truck.
The complaint states that the woman was afraid to refuse the Mitchells'
requests for money because Paul Mitchell would get angry when she did. The complaint said when money was returned to the woman, it was in small amounts. The couple also deducted amounts from what they owed the woman in exchange for services they once had given her for free. They charged her for rides, $200 for cleaning her house and $200 for helping her work on a computer.
Theft charges
Paul and Debra Mitchell have been charged with three counts of theft. If
convicted, they could get up to 20 years in prison and up to a $100,000
fine. Their first court appearance is Sept. 22.
The woman told authorities she was befriended by the Mitchells in September 1999 when she moved to Rochester after her husband died and she sold the family farm. She had nearly $137,000 in her savings account from the sale of her farm, the complaint said.
In July 2001, after the woman had loaned the Mitchells more than $100,000, a conservatorship was initiated to help her manage her finances. A psychiatrist who supported the petition found the woman to be functionally illiterate and dependent upon others to explain financial and business matters. Her husband had managed all of their financial affairs before his death in 1999.
Complaint details
According to the complaint, the woman said the Mitchells would assist her with financial matters, her computer, transportation and housekeeping.
Early in the relationship, Paul Mitchell recommended that the woman put her
money into a money market account. Eventually, the woman agreed, with
Mitchell taking her to the bank to open the account.
The Mitchells then allegedly began asking the woman for money. Paul
Mitchell would call and tell the bank that the woman wanted to transfer
money from her money market account into her checking account, so she could
cover checks to Mitchell for the loans.
The complaint describes a situation in February 2000 in which the couple
asked her to buy a television for them. They took her to Best Buy to write
a $567 check for the item. The woman said she did not want to buy the
television and was worried about the money that already was owed to her.
The woman said that when she got home, she asked the couple whether they
intended to pay her back. They said they would. But they never did, the
complaint states.
It also states that $5,240 out of the $102,000 loaned to the couple was
returned.
That's so sad that it had to happen to an elderly deafblind person -- that shows that the world has changed a lot -- drastically, in my opinon...I'm just glad that the couple were caught when they were before any further damages were done to the lady.
