Apartment Building Managers Face Theft Charges After Scoring POA From 94-Year Old Tenant, Then Ripping Him Off For $700K+, Say Cops

In Columbus, Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch reports:

• A nurse and a part-time kindergarten teacher have been charged with the theft of more than $700,000 from a 94-year-old North Side man. Deborah Johnson, 53, of Columbus, the nurse, and Anita Esquibel, 68, of Columbus, the teacher, are accused by Columbus police of stealing more than $700,000 from Peter Svaldi. The two met him at an apartment building near Graceland Shopping Center, said Kevin Craine, attorney for Svaldi's newly appointed guardian. The women were the property managers, said the guardian, Lorelei Lanier.

• The women gained Svaldi's trust, then bought real estate, a car and jewelry with money they took from his accounts after gaining power of attorney, Craine said. "I think this stuff happens a lot more than anybody knows, through power of attorney," Craine said. "I don't know the circumstances how he gave them power of attorney, but he definitely gave it to them. In the wrong hands, it can become a license to steal. "The bank deserves a lot of credit for its vigilance," he said.

For the story, see 2 women accused in rip-off of senior (94-year-old man lost $700,000, police say).

See also, WBNS-TV Channel 10: Women Charged With Stealing Hundreds Of Thousands From 94-Year-Old:

• Police said the man met Johnson and Esquibel because they lived in the same apartment complex. [...] Since the man has no relatives who live nearby, investigators said the theft was almost undetected, until a bank officer noticed the large transactions and called police, Connelly reported.

• Craine said his client is still confused as to exactly what happened to his money. "It took a while for him to understand that a significant portion of his assets had been taken from him, and in fact the psychologist in his evaluation likened it to a grieving process," Craine said.