Deed Theft Suspect Cops Plea; Gets 10 Years In Texas Prison For Conning Senior Into Signing Away Home

This is an old story (October, 2006) which took place in Texas and originally reported by the San Antonio Express-News about a woman, named Charlotte Smith, who befriended 81 year old Wallace Moore, and subsequently proceeded to bleed Mr. Moore's accounts and transferred the ownership of his home into her name, according to criminal prosecutor's allegations. In carrying out the scam, Smith essentially "hid" Mr. Moore by placing him in a nursing home without telling his relatives. According to the story:

• After he fell and his health declined, Smith placed him in a facility referred to as "Hilltop Lodge," negotiating a lower rate because she said all he had was his Social Security check. "She put a note on his file that he was to have no visitors, especially family members," said Assistant District Attorney Joanne Woodruff. The staff at Hilltop would spend their own money to buy Moore clothes, shoes and personal items because he had become so tattered, she said. "In fact, she finally brought a bag of the oldest shoes you could imagine, and they didn't even fit him," Woodruff said. "I did see the shoes." Moore wanted to remain at Hilltop, which seemed like a well-run facility, Woodruff said.

Charlotte Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $380,000 in restitution after pleading no contest to two counts of securing execution of documents by deception. For more, see:

• Woman pleads no contest to fleecing octogenarian,
• Woman gets 10 years for home sale scheme.

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