Neighbor steals more than $100K from elderly couple, a woman in hospice and man, 87, in nursing home

A 69-year-old Florida woman is headed to prison after a Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) investigation found that she financially exploited an elderly Naples couple, stealing more than $100,000 from them in the form of jewelry, cash and a new car.  On January 17, Collier County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier sentenced Lynn Marie Keller of Monroe County, Florida to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of probation with special conditions.

On December 9, 2024, Keller had been found guilty as charged of seven counts of Exploiting Elderly/Disabled Person and two counts of Grand Theft from a Person 65 Years or Older.  On November 30, 2019, the victims’ son contacted the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in reference to grand theft of $20,000 in jewelry and a car. Keller was a friend and neighbor of the victims.   ~ State Attorney’s Office

Keller was also ordered to pay $112,000 in restitution. A jury found Keller guilty of nine counts of exploitation of the elderly following a weeklong trial last December.

“Thanks to excellent investigative work by our detectives and a successful prosecution by our State Attorney’s Office this individual is going to prison where she won’t be able to prey on vulnerable members of our community,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said.

Keller’s charges stem from incidents reported in 2019 when CCSO learned that jewelry, a car and personal banking documents had been stolen from the couple, an 81-year-old woman under crisis care by hospice and her 87-year-old husband who was living in a skilled nursing facility.

Detectives traced the crimes to Keller, who they also learned had forged the female victim’s name on a new Kia Sorrento, transferring the title to herself as a “gift,” while the victim was in a coma and dying. Keller also transferred funds from the couple’s account to her own account, and forged checks in their names.

The investigation also revealed transactions made by Keller utilizing a power of attorney of the female victim and the couple’s joint banking accounts. When the female victim died, Keller took many items from the couple’s house and fled the area.

She also instructed a friend of the female victim to not tell the son that his mother died.

Keller was arrested in 2021 after detectives located her in Monroe County.

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(Source: Collier County Sheriff’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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