Six Inland Empire residents have been arrested after authorities came to believe that they participated in a scheme to defraud elderly people in Nebraska and Texas out of thousands of dollars.
According to the Press Enterprise, the alleged swindlers would call elderly people and pretend to be that person's grandchild. The scam artist would have publicly available "personal information" such as where the elderly person lived and his or her birthday was and would ask the person for money.
The six people who were arrested have now been charged with grand theft, theft from an elder, conspiracy and elder abuse. They are being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
One thing that we noticed is that two of the accused people are 19 years old. While we all are responsible for our own actions, it's just true that some people haven't attained their full maturity by that age and are susceptible to being influenced -- for good or for ill -- by others.
Also, one of the people arrested was charged with possessing methamphetamine. That raises the possibility that drugs were involved here. Again, drug use is not an excuse, but it could function as something of an explanation. Quite often, people who fall victim to illegal substances end up doing things they'd never even contemplate if they were not suffering from a crippling addiction.
Our hope is that the people accused in connection with this alleged theft ring have arrange for a strong defense to the charges which they're facing. Riverside County residents who are looking for a criminal defense attorney who serves communities like Temecula, Hemet, Murrieta, Corona and Lake Elsinore are invited to contact us for a free consultation. We can help! Since 1999, we have represented several hundred individuals charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses.